QUETTA, Feb 23: John Solecki, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Balochistan who was kidnapped on Feb 2, is alive, according to a spokesman for the Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF) which has claimed to have abducted him.

Reacting to reports that Mr Solecki had been killed, telecast by some television channels, the Front’s spokesman who introduced himself as Mir Shahak Baloch said Mr Solecki was alive. He denied that his organisation had made any call to any journalist saying that the hostage had been killed.

He called a news agency office in Quetta and said that Solecki was sick and suffering from heart and kidney problems and he was receiving medical treatment.

Solecki had complained of failing health in a videotape released earlier by his captors. The BLUF spokesman said his group would not kill Solecki before first announcing a decision to do so.

The group wants the United Nations to secure release of 141 Baloch women it says have been detained in Pakistan and recovery of hundreds of missing people.

Mir Shahak said his group was considering a UN request for contacts through an intermediary. However, he added: “If our demands are not met we will be left with no option but to kill Solecki.”

On February 7, the BLUF had given a 72-hour deadline to the UN for the acceptance of its demands. It later extended the deadline.