ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Premier Benazir condemned the killing of the Norwegian hostage by Kashmiri separatists and demanded the immediate release of the other four men.
Speaking at Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations, Ms. Bhutto said her Government condemns the kidnappings and she pleaded with the separatists to release the other four, an American, two Britons and a Ger ‘man.
Many times we have asked then to release the hostages and again I appeal to them for please release the rest of the hostages” Ms. Bhutto said, ‘whose people are terrorists and we condemn all acts of terrorism,” she said.
To demand cither outright Independence or Union with mostly Muslim Pakistan, The uprising has claimed at Least 12,000 people and Pakistan and India have (elected dangerously on the brink of war.
Hans Christian Ostro, 27, whose hoadless body was found on Aug.13, in Indian Kashmir, was the first Western hostage executed by militants, although an Israeli was killed when ho resisted an abduction attempt in 1992. The four remaining hostages are Donald Hutching’s, 42, of Spokane, Washington, Paul Wells, 23, of London, Keith Mangan, 33, of Middlesbrough, England and Dirk Hasert, 26, of Ertert, Germany. A fifth hostage, John Childs, 41, of Simsbury, Connecticut escaped from his captors and was rescued by Indian forces.
India has accused Pakistan of training Kashmiri militants, a charge Ms. Bhutto denies.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 18, 1995
