Lost to the World: A Memoir of Faith, Family and Five Years in Terrorist Captivity

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Description

An astonishing and moving true story of captivity, endurance and survival against all the odds at the hands of Islamic extremists. In late August of 2011, Shahbaz Taseer was driving to his office in Lahore, Pakistan when he was dragged from his car at gunpoint and kidnapped by members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a Taliban-affiliated terrorist group. Just seven months earlier, his father, Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, had been shot dead by his guard for speaking out against Pakistan's blasphemy laws. For almost five years Shahbaz was held captive, moved ever-deeper into the lawless Hindu Kush, frequently tortured and forced to endure extreme cruelty, his fate resting on his kidnappers' impossible demands and the uneasy alliances between his captors and the Taliban and ISIS. Lost to the World is the remarkable true story of Taseer's time in captivity, and of his astonishing escape. It is a story of extraordinary faith, bravery and sorrow, with moments of kindness and humour offering a hopeful light in the dark years of his imprisonment. By turns immensely personal and surprisingly universal, Shahbaz Taseer's story is a testament to the enduring power of the human spirit.

Reviews

Astounding-an honest and fascinating account of something almost no other person has survived. * Jemima Khan *
This memoir is a complete tour de force of emotions. * Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Academy Award-winning filmmaker and journalist *
What a book. Lost to the World is a survival narrative unlike no other...Above all...a deeply moving testament to the triumph of human spirit. * Hctor Tobar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Deep Down Dark *
An astonishing story. A fascinating book. * Hugo Rifkind *

Author Bio

Shahbaz Taseer is a Pakistani businessman and the son of the late governor of Punjab, Pakistan. Taseer was held in captivity for almost five years and was recovered from Kuchlak, Balochistan, on March 8, 2016. His kidnapping was referred to by The Guardian as one of the highest profile kidnappings in Pakistan.