THE father of student hostage Paul Wells today said he was counting on "appeals from across the world" to end the ordeal as it hit the 250th day.

Mr Wells revealed that high-powered Muslim leaders had sent messages to the Al-Faran kidnappers calling for them to release Paul, 25, and three other Westerners.

And he spoke of his despair that the behind-the- scenes-messages from some of the world's most powerful people had so far fallen on deaf ears.

He said: "Every day we hope that there will be some good news.

"The fact that these appeals have had no effect leaves us wondering what would."

Paul, a photography student, of Bracken Close, Feniscowles, Blackburn, was captured in the Indian province of Jammu Kashmir in July last year. Several other Westerners, including girlfriend Cath Moseley, were also taken.

Some of them were immediately released but a Norwegian, Hans Christian Ostroe, was later beheaded by the Kashmiri separatists.

The other three Westerners currently being held are fellow Briton Keith Mangan, German Dirk Hasert and American Don Hutchings.

Apart from sporadic accounts of sightings from traders in the region, there has been no contact with the captors for several months.

Negotiators had hoped the hostages might have been released to coincide with the Muslim festival of Eid.

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