FOREIGN Office Minister Derek Fatchett was today due to return from a visit to the Indian sub-continent where he has been raising the case of student hostage Paul Wells.

Mr Fatchett has attempted to gain assurances from the Indian and Pakistani Governments that they are committed to ending the heartache of the families of the four Westerners who were captured by militants in July 1995.

He visited Pakistan yesterday where he repeated the new Labour Government's own commitment to the case.

There has been no news of Paul, 26, of Bracken Close, Feniscowles, Blackburn, Middlesbrough man Keith Mangan, American Donald Hutchings or German Dirk Hasert for more than a year.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.