By IRNA,
Islamabad : Pakistani Taliban have extended deadline till April 5 for killing a Canadian Muslim woman journalist to agree to their demands for the release of prisoners.
Khadija Abdul Qahaar, 55, previously known as Beverly Giesbrecht, was kidnapped near the city of Bannu on November 11 when she was visiting the region for a documentary.
Taliban had set March end for her release but a Taliban statement distributed in Miranshah, the center of North Waziristan tribal region last night said that the Canadian Pakistani authorities did not contact them.
The statement said that the Canadian journalist was a spy and had come to the tribal area for espionage on Taliban.
In a video, the Canadian Muslim journalist said that the militants would kill her if their demands were not met.
Khadija Abdul Qahaar had converted to Islam in response to the U.S. “war on terror” that followed 9/11.
“We have very short time now. And I am going to be killed,” Khadija Abdul Qahaar said in the video, which was delivered to journalists in Miranshah.
In her first video last month she confirmed that she had been kidnapped by Taliban and had pleaded for her release.
Taliban in a statement said that Khadija Abdul Qahaar is not a journalist but ‘she had come to the tribal regions on espionage mission’.
“We will kill her if our demands were not accepted,” the statement said. The statement was delivered in the Miranshah press club by unknown persons.
“Her murder is justified under Sharia laws,” the statement said.
It said that a dead of March 30th was set for acceptance for the demands but neither the Canadian government nor Pakistani authorities establish any contact.
“We had extended the deadline till April 3rd at the request of the local journalists,” the statement said, adding “We are now again extending deadline till April 5th”.
Office-bearers of the Miranshah Press Club last week issued a statement, making appeal to the captors to free the Canadian journalist.
“Dead body of the Canadian woman journalist will be delivered,” the statement said.