THE father of student hostage Paul Wells today said he feared claims that the Western captives were ill would soon become "self-fulfilling prophecies".

Speaking after the Indian Government rejected a renewed offer to exhange the captives, he said he was "as confused as everyone else" about the credibility of reports that two of the four Western hostages, a Briton and American Don Hutchings, were ill.

But he added: "My fear is that the longer this continues and the weather worsens, the more likely these stories are to come true.

"I am worried that they will be less and less able to cope with any possible infections."

Mr Wells, of Bracken Close, Feniscowles, Blackburn, added that he had no information to suggest that Paul had been seriously ill with a viral infection but was now recovered, as reported in one national newspaper today.

Paul, Don Hutchings, Middlesbrough-man Keith Mangan, and German Dirk Hasert, have been held by the Kashmiri separatist group Al-Faran for almost five months.

This week Al-Faran, who originally demanded the release of 21 imprisoned colleagues in exchange for the hostages, said they would release two sick captives for just one man.

India rejected the offer saying it would lead to more kidnappings.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said: "The number of prisoners the militants want freed isn't the question. This is a question of principle."

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