Seized in raid

Two western aid workers were kidnapped when three armed raiders entered their accommodation in the Punjabi city of Multan on Thursday, local police said.

"Three armed men entered the house and kidnapped two foreign nationals," Multan City police representative Amir Zulfiqar told reporters. One of them is an Italian national and the other we believe to be German."

"So far we have not established a motive, but it is too early to say," he added. "We are continuing investigations to try to see what happened."

The Italian and German foreign ministries confirmed the kidnapping.

According to a German security service source, the pair was working for the German development and emergency relief agency Welthungerhilfe. A spokeswoman for the organization said she neither wished to confirm nor deny the report.

The kidnapping took place only a few kilometers from the residence of Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

Locals say there are many NGOs working in the area, improving infrastructure after the recent serious flooding.

Troubled region

According to defence analyst Farooq Hameed, southern Punjab is considered a center of activity for pro-Taliban groups, suggesting the kidnappings may have been carried out by terrorists.

"Around half a dozen foreigners have been kidnapped in Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and other areas in the past few months," said Hameed.

Hostage takers usually demand large ransoms for the release of prisoners.

Previous kidnapping cases in Pakistan have seen the son-in-law of a high-ranking officer and the son of the deceased governor of Punjab abducted by terrorist groups.

The most recent incident has come at the same time when Punjab's chief minister, Shehbaz Sharif, is attending an international exhibition in Berlin to convince foreign firms to invest in Pakistan.

Authors: Sarah Berning, Tanveer Shehzad (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Darren Mara