Friday, April 15 2005 14:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Dubai: An employee of the Pakistani embassy in Baghdad who was taken hostage last week has appealed to President Pervez Musharraf for help to win his release, according to a video message broadcast by the Al-Jazeera channel today (Apr 15, 2005).

Malik Muhammad Javed, an assistant at the mission who does not have diplomatic status, went missing on Saturday (Apr 9, 2005) night after going to a mosque for evening prayers. He is the fourth Pakistani to be abducted in Iraq.

In the video, he appealed to the President, his Minister of foreign affairs and the international community to win his release, Al-Jazeera said.

The video contains no conditions from his kidnappers for his eventual liberation.

Around 200 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq since last April. Many kidnappings are motivated by cash, with abductors often selling captives with political value to militant groups.

Islamabad opposed the March 2003 invasion of Iraq despite being a key ally in the US war on terror. It has refused requests from the United States and the Iraqi leadership to send peacekeeping troops there.

Pakistan on Tuesday (Apr 12, 2005) denied a claim by Javed's son that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of half a million Dollars to release him.