Islamabad: The suspected pro-Taliban abductors of two Chinese engineers in Pakistan's tribal South Waziristan agency bordering Afghanistan today (Oct 11, 2004) extended the deadline by four hours to kill one of the hostages.

Earlier, a pro-Taliban Pakistani tribal leader Abdullah Mehsud had telephoned some of the Pakistan's media offices in Peshawar threatening to execute one of the Chinese engineers by noon if the Pakistan Government failed to accept their demand to release suspected al-Qaeda militants in its custody.

The deadline has been extended by four hours in the wake of talks with Jirga, (tribal assembly) the officials were quoted as saying.

According to Geo TV, its correspondent in Peshawar received a phone call from Mehsud this morning warning that one of the Chinese will be beheaded by 12:00 hours if the Government fails to meet their demands.

It is still not known what exactly are the demands of militants but media here speculated that they wanted release of several ultras held by Pakistan security forces. Both the Government and militants were silent on the nature of demands.

Surprisingly Mehsud met some of the media, including Arabic channel Alzazira, in tribal area yesterday (Oct 10, 2004) and owned the responsibility for kidnapping Chinese engineers, working on the Gomal Zam Dam project, along with two Pakistan guards.

"At the moment the Chinese engineers along with my aides are encircled by Jalalkhel tribesmen and the Government forces in Chakmalai area of South Waziristan, therefore, I am unable to disclose the demands for their release," Mehsud has been quoted as saying by the media in Islamabad.