AP
Tributes have been paid to a murdered British aid worker whose body was found dumped in an orchard in Pakistan.
Khalil Dale was abducted at gunpoint in January while working with the International Committee
of the
Red Cross (ICRC) in Baluchistan province. Dale's throat had been slit,
according to Safdar Hussain, a doctor who examined the body.
Quetta police chief Ahsan Mahboob said the note attached to it read: "This is the body
of Khalil who we have slaughtered for not paying a ransom."
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Militants and criminal gangs
often kidnap wealthy Pakistanis and less commonly, foreigners.
The 60-year-old
Scot
had been awarded the MBE for his humanitarian work overseas. He changed
his name from Ken when he became a Muslim and was engaged to a nurse
who lives in Australia.
Friend and former colleague Sheila Howat worked with Dale
at Dumfries Infirmary, where he was a staff nurse, and had known him
for 25 years.
"It's unbelievable what they've done to Ken. It's soul
destroying. For someone who has given their life, devoted their life, to
caring for others - it's just so wrong," she said.
"Ken was an absolutely lovely person who saw good in
everybody. He wanted to make the world a better place for people who had
nothing. This is why he went to all the war-torn countries to try to
make things better, particularly for the children.
"He knew the risks. He was quite aware
of them."
Howat said Mr Dale's fiancee Anne, lives in Australia.
"I was so happy that he had finally found happiness. I think their engagement happened quite recently."
Dale, who had shared a home with his mother in
Scotland until her death in 2007, had a brother Ian, who lives in New Zealand.
British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to Dale.
"I was deeply saddened to hear about the brutal murder
of Khalil Dale - a man who was killed whilst providing humanitarian support to others.
"This was a shocking and merciless act, carried out by people with no respect for human life and the rule
of law.
"Khalil Dale has dedicated many years
of his life to helping some
of the most vulnerable people in the world and my thoughts today are with his friends and family."
Foreign Secretary William Hague said "tireless efforts" had been made over the past months to secure Dale's release.
"I utterly condemn the kidnapping and killing
of Mr
Dale, and send my deepest condolences to his family and loved ones as
they come to terms with their tragic and distressing loss."
British Red Cross chief executive Sir Nick Young said
Dale had worked for the ICRC and the British Red Cross for many years,
having previously been posted in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Khalil Dale has been a committed member
of the Red Cross Red Cre
scent family for the last 30 years. He was a gentle, kind person, who devoted his life to helping others, including some
of the world's most vulnerable people.
"We condemn his abduction and murder in the strongest possible terms. It not only robs him
of his life, and his family and co-workers
of their loved one and friend - it robs the people he was helping
of the expert care they need.
"Khalil first worked overseas for the Red Cross in 1981 in Kenya, distributing food and improving the health
of people
affected by severe drought. He also worked in Sudan, Somalia,
Afghanistan and Iraq, before his posting to Pakistan with the
International Committee
of the Red Cross."
"In other words, he did not shy away from the tough assignments, in the name
of improving the lives
of others. He was a brave man who had the utmost respect
of his colleagues in the Red Cross and in the humanitarian world generally."
