THE father and girlfriend of an East Lancashire student being held hostage in Kashmir hoped to leaflet militants at a rally for Islamic fundamentalists.

But today, Mr Bob Wells said his hopes of gaining fresh information about his son Paul's plight had been dashed after management at The London Arena confirmed their decision to call off the event.

Mr Wells and Paul's girlfriend Cath Moseley, had intended to travel to the capital to distribute 10,000 leaflets to people attending the 'Rally For Revival' tomorrow.

Today he said the decision to call off the event was a 'blow' to the family. Cath has spent the past week printing the leaflets with family and friends. The Government had been under intense pressure from countries including Egypt and Algeria to ban the event, organised by a group advocating the creation of a worldwide Islamic state and violent revolution to overthrow the governments of every country in the Middle East.

Management of the Docklands' venue confirmed the decision to call off the rally just 48 hours after advice from the Home Office.

The event, at the 12,000-seater London Arena in the Docklands, was expected to feature videotaped messages from some of the world's most notorious terrorists. Paul, of Bracken Close, Blackburn, was trekking through Jammu Kashmir with girlfriend Cath when he was kidnapped at gunpoint by militants calling themselves Al Faran.

Cath was released immediately, but Paul and four other male Westerners were held.

One man, Norwegian Hans Christian Ostro, was later found beheaded. But Paul, Middlesbrough man Keith Mangan, German Dirk Hasert and American Donald Hutchings have been in captivity since July last year.

There has been no proof that they are alive since August last year, but recent sightings have placed them in the South of the province.

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