British boy kidnapped in Pakistan freed unharmed

"It is fantastic news which brings an end to the traumatic ordeal faced by Sahil and his family," the British High Commissioner in Islamabad, Adam Thomson, said in a statement.

"I would like to praise the high-level of cooperation between U.K. and Pakistani authorities and in particular, I would like to thank the Jhelum police for their role in bringing about the safe return of Sahil."

Kidnapping is a major problem in Pakistan and many of the crimes go unreported. Local media said on Tuesday that the dead body of a two-year-old Pakistani girl who was kidnapped for ransom was found near the northwestern city of Peshawar.

(Additional reporting by Kamran Haider and Zeeshan Haider in ISLAMABAD; Writing by Michael Georgy)