US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell has ruled out conceding to kidnappers who are threatening to kill an American journalist.
|
|
A photo of Mr Daniel Pearl released by his captors earlier this week
|
He said Pakistan is doing everything it can to free Mr Daniel Pearl, a
Wall Street Journal
reporter.
The kidnappers are demanding that Pakistani prisoners from the Afghan campaign be returned. They extened their deadline until later today.
The group claiming to hold Mr Pearl have vowed in its latest e-mail that his abduction and threatened execution is only the beginning of a "real war" on Americans.
But Mr Powell ruled out any talks with the kidnappers. "The demands that the kidnappers have placed are not demands that we can either deal with or get into a negotiation about," he said.
Police claim they have several leads but have refused to give details. A source said a key suspect named Arif was reported dead in southern Punjab province. He was believed to have been one of Mr Pearl's contacts, the source said.
Mr Pearl, the Journal's South Asian bureau chief based in Bombay, India, was trying to arrange an interview with a Muslim cleric, Mubarak Ali Shah Gilani, when he disappeared.
The Wall Street Journalhas sent repeated return e-mails denying Mr Pearl is an agent of any government and appealing for his life.