ISLAMABAD, June 30: The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights has expressed concern over reports that Amjad Hafeez, a Pakistani taken hostage in Iraq, may be beheaded on non- fulfilment of certain conditions conveyed by his captors to the Iraqi government.

According to a press release, the Senate committee chairman, S. M. Zafar, asked all concerned particularly the hostage takers of Amjad Hafeez to release him. Mr Hafeez's mother has already appealed for sparing her son's life who is the only bread earner of a large but poor family.

Our reporter for Rawalpindi adds: The Tehrik-i-Nifaz Fiqah-i- Jafaria (TNFJ) chief, Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi, has asked all the religious leaders of Iraq to help in the release of the hostages including a Pakistani who was kidnapped by an armed group.

While expressing grave concern over taking hostage a Pakistani in Iraq, Agha Moosavi asked the Imam of Masjid-i-Imam Abu Hanifa, leader of a resistance group, Muqtada Al-Sadr, and the human rights organizations to make efforts for the release of all hostages including the Pakistani citizen.