Pakistan's Minister for Interior Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said
on Sunday that al-Qaeda is linked to the kidnapping of two Chinese
engineers, who were seized on Saturday in Pakistan's tribal area
bordering Afghanistan.
The Chinese engineers, along with a Pakistani guard and driver,
were abducted by five gunmen near Jandola in Pakistan's South
Waziristan area.
The hostages, Wang Ende and Wang Peng, have been working for the
China National Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Group
Corporation on a dam and a canal project in the area.
The kidnappers have not been identified, but reports indicate
that two or three of them are Afghans, and one or two are
Pakistanis. Two of the men, believed to be from Pakistan, had
covered their faces.
Sherpao said the captors are connected with militants who are
the targets of an operation in the area.
The Pakistani army has been engaged in operation to flush out
hundreds of Al-Qaeda linked militants from South Waziristan since
last year.
At last report, the engineers, their guard and driver were safe
and remained under the protection of the local Jalal Khel tribe. A
21-member council, including a member of the National Assembly from
the tribal region, was continuing negotiations.
The demands of the kidnappers remain unclear.
AFP has reported that demands include the release of two
militants that the Pakistani security forces are holding. Earlier
information from an unnamed source indicated that the kidnappers
required that all foreign militants in custody be released.
The captors have reportedly threatened to kill the hostages if
their demands are not met.
Sherpao said the demands of the kidnappers would be determined
as the negotiations progress. "The government will look into the
demands, whether or not they are acceptable," he said.
The semi-autonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan has long
been notorious for kidnappings, but it has also become a refuge for
al Qaeda-linked militants, including Chechens, Uzbeks and Arabs,
who have been protected by local tribes.
Hundreds have died in battles between the militants and the
Pakistan military in the region since March. US officials believe
that Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders may be hiding
somewhere along the rugged border between Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
(Xinhua News Agency, China Daily October 11,
2004)