ISLAMABAD The mother of an American UN official kidnapped nearly three weeks ago in Pakistan has urged the public to help secure his release, in an audiotaped message released Saturday by the UN.
John Solecki, head of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) office in the southwestern city of Quetta, was abducted at gunpoint on Feb 2 while travelling to work. His driver was killed in the ambush.
It was the most high-profile western kidnapping in Pakistan since 2002, when US journalist Daniel Pearl was snatched and beheaded by al-Qaeda militants.
My name is Rose Solecki. The UNHCR worker who went missing in Quetta, John Solecki, is my son. I am appealing to the people of Balochistan for whatever support they can provide to secure my sons safety and freedom, the 83-year old woman said.
My husband and I spent a wonderful time, meeting his friends in Balochistan, she said on the tape, which was given to AFP by a local UNHCR official, Baloch Babar, who confirmed that the tape was genuine.
But this recent happy memory has quickly turned into a nightmare. I simply do not understand why this is happening to our dear John.
The shadowy Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), which claims to be holding Solecki, has demanded the release of 141 female Baloch detainees they say are in Pakistani custody.
The group has also demanded information about 6,000 men missing in operations to put down an insurgency in restive Balochistan province, of which Quetta is the capital.
Hundreds of people have died in unrest in Balochistan since 2004, when rebels rose up demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the provinces rich natural resources.
Last week, a grainy video released by the kidnappers and shown on Pakistani television channels showed a blindfolded man — purportedly Solecki — appealing to the United Nations for his release and saying he was unwell.
Now I hear that John may be really sick and he needs medication, said his mother.
My husband and I are old, we want to be with John again. We can not bear the sorrow of losing John.
The UNHCR also released a photograph of Solecki with his mother and 91-year-old father when the couple had visited Quetta last year.
On Monday, the kidnappers said they had extended a 72-hour deadline for the government to meet demands for Soleckis release. No new deadline was set.
Kidnappings of foreigners in Balochistan are rare, although they have multiplied in northwest Pakistan, which also borders Afghanistan.
Please help us find John and return him safely to his family, friends and colleagues, Rose Solecki said. John has helped many people in Balochistan and now my son needs your help.
