Pakistani Taleban 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 Taleban spokesman said on Tuesday they were holding the four. China is a staunch ally of Pakistan and a major investor. The safety of Chinese nationals is a priority for any Pakistani government. A Taleban spokesman in the northwest said the four would be held until Taleban demands were met, although he declined to say what the demands were, adding that the Taleban 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 four were abducted in Dir, a mountainous region that borders Afghanistan as well as the Pakistani tribal region of Bajaur and the Swat Valley, where security forces have been fighting Al-Qaeda and Taleban militants. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday the government was seeking to clarify what happened. “We have already asked Pakistan to make every effort in a search and to ensure the safety of the lives of the two individuals,” a ministry spokeswoman said. Militants have targeted Chinese nationals in Pakistan's northwest in the past.
