ISLAMABAD. June S : Pakistani Prime Minfater Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday called on Islamic countries to send relief to Kashmiris opposing Indian rule in their Himalayan state, reports Reuter.
He made the call in a meeting In Islamabad with the visiting Secretary-General of the 46-nation Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Hamid Al-Oabid.
A Pakistani government statement quoted Sharif as accusing India of committing "mounting atrocities" against Kashmir's predominantly Muslim population and calling for "urgent relief assistance" for them.
"The Prime Minister stressed that in order to save the people of Kashmir from starvation and extreme suffering, the Islamic countries should give top priority to this matter," the statement said.
More than 2,500 people have been killed In Kashmir since a Muslim separatist campaign turned into open revolt 17 months ago. Militants want Independence or union with Islamic Pakistan.
Pakistan denies Indian charges that It is training or arming Kashmiri militants, saying Its support for them Is only political and moral.
Two of the three wars between India and Pakistan since their Independence from Britain in 1947 were fought over Kashmir, two-thirds of which is ruled by India and the rest by Pakistan.
New Delhi regards the whole of Kashmir as an integral part of India. Islamabad says Kashmiris must be allowed to decide their future in a UN -supervised referendum.
Chinese engineers released
AP from Karachi says : Three Chinese engineers kidnapped in Pakistan's Sindh province nearly a month ago
were released Wednesday, government officials said.
The three, identified as Zho Zheng Geng. 52. Lee Gang, 26 and Tai Shiyu, no age given, were abducted on May 10 and taken to a forest hideout.
They were working near the village of Phan Saeedabad, 144 miles (240 kilometers) north of the port city of Karachi, when they were snatched from their vehicle, police officials said on condition of anonymity.
The engineers are among about 30 Chinese nationals employed with a Chinesebased power generation firm working on contract for the Pakistani government in the Interior of Sindh, where kidnappers roam with virtual impunity.
For weeks the kidnappers taunted police, daring them to come into the thick forest. Police officials originally thought the kidnappings were revenge for police crackdowns on armed gangs 1n the area.
It wasn't immediately known whether a ransom was paid. Police said the kidnappers had demanded a ransom but a figure was never given.
During negotiations, the kidnappers also demanded immunity and a promise that police would not launch a crackdown in the area. The police refused to say whether any of the demands were mcL
Thousands of people have been kidnapped in the past two years. In Sindh, and police say at least 30 kidnappings are reported every month. Most are released after paying ransom. Others have been killed.
In January, Pakistan Imposed the death penalty for kidnapplng-for-ransom.
The government warns foreigners against travelling in Sindh and rarely do residents leave their homes after sunset.
Late last month police recovered two Japanese stu-dents, who had been kidnapped almost six weeks earlier from Sukkur, near Phan Saeedabad. It is believed that a 63,000-dollar ransom was paid to the. kidnappers for the Japanese students. ■
A Swedish and a Pakistani hostage were killed on April
10 In a gunbattle between their kidnappers and police.
Piter Schubert, an engineering consultant for the Danish Company Kampsax International and Mohammad Shaft Junejo, the Pakistani hostage, were killed when police stormed the vehicle in which they were being held.