September 04, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 3, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 3: The Taliban said on Wednesday they would not kill two Chinese engineers and two Pakistanis they have been holding since last week, but they would not release them unless unspecified demands were met.

Two Chinese telecommunication engineers and a Pakistani driver and guard were kidnapped near the Afghan border on Friday when they were returning to a guest house after repairing a telecommunications tower.

A Taliban spokesman in the northwest said the four would be held until Taliban demands were met, although he declined to say what the demands were, adding that the Taliban were awaiting an approach from the government.

“There’s no plan to kill them. If the government does not listen to us or contact us, then they’ll remain detained,” said the militant spokesman, Muslim Khan.

The militants have been demanding an end to military operations against them and the release of their captured comrades.

Such kidnappings add to worry among foreigners about their security in Pakistan but there has been no rush to leave. “Everything is OK.

“We haven’t even taken the first step of asking foreign staff to send their families back,” said a UN official, who declined to be identified.

But security is tight for staff travelling to the violence-plagued northwest.

“Our foreign staff do travel quite frequently so we inform the government about their travel plans and they provide security,” the official said.

—Reuters