The kidnappers of a Polish geologist, held hostage in Pakistan since the end of September, have extended the February 4th deadline given to the Pakistani government to meet their demands. The man is reported to be alive and the Taliban militant holding him hostage are said to be ready to negotiate and bargain.
Krysia Kołosowska reports
Piotr Stanczak was kidnapped on September 28, some 80 km from Islamabad, close to a camp set up by a Polish geological firm, for which he had worked. The kidnappers, believed to be Taliban militants, killed his Pakistani body guards. Two weeks later, a Pakistani television broadcast his statement, recorded by his kidnappers.
From that time there was no information on the kidnapped Polish engineer until last Friday, when the English language Pakistani daily Dawn published a demand put forward by militants from the Tehrik-e-Taliban group. They threatened to kill their hostage by Wednesday night, if the Pakistani government refused to remove its troops from their tribal areas and release jailed comrades.
A crisis team, set up by the Polish government, has been busy working hand in hand with the Pakistani authorities to secure the release of the Pole. A top Polish negotiator is on the spot in Pakistan and has sent good news, says a spokesman for the Polish foreign ministry Piotr Paszkowski: 'The kidnappers had changed their stand and are ready now to modify their demands.'
Here in Poland, the relatives of the kidnapped engineer have appealed to the government for more energetic actions to release him. His sister Danuta believes that this will be a story with a happing end: 'I hope the government will prove equal to the task and will prove to the whole world that the Polish citizen is important to its stand and that Poland is waiting for him. But it is us, who are waiting for him with the greatest impatience,' she said.
The Polish engineer is believed to be held in the region of Darra Adam Khel.
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