Poland today promised to track down and "punish" Taleban terrorists who beheaded an engineer in Pakistan's lawless North West Frontier Province.

Piotr Stanczak, a geologist, was kidnapped four months ago while working in Attock district, close to North West Frontier Province, which is infested with Taleban.

Minutes before his murder on Friday night, he was shown appealing to the Polish government not to send troops to neighbouring Afghanistan.

In a video, released yesterday, a statement was shown by the Taleban saying that other foreign nationals in their custody would be executed soon if the Pakistani government did not release some 60 detainees held by the military.

The insurgents are holding at least four foreigners, including a Chinese engineer, plus Afghan and Iranian diplomats.

Radoslaw Sikorski, the Polish Foreign Minister, this morning said that the video had been authenticated as genuine and promised that Poland would try to bring the perpetrators of the killing to justice.

The chances of doing so, however, appear extremely remote as Pakistan's tribal regions remain largely lawless and overrun by the Taleban.

"The cassette of the execution, this bestial execution, is authentic and unfortunately it confirms the worst," Mr Sikorski said.

"Now we can no longer save our compatriot, we are going to try to punish his killers.

"After consultation with the Justice Minister, we are issuing arrest warrants to arrest the men suspected of having committed this crime."

A Taleban spokesman told Pakistani newspapers that Mr Stanczak's body would only be handed over after the detainees had been freed. The spokesman, who identified himself as Mohammed, said the Taleban had rejected an offer of 100 million rupees, (£1 million), for the release of Mr Stanczak before his killing.

Pakistan has seen a rash of kidnappings and attacks on foreigners in recent months, mostly blamed on al-Qaeda and Taleban groups trying to destabilise the country's government and punish it for supporting the US-led war in Afghanistan.

An American UN worker was abducted last week in the border town of Quetta in southwestern Pakistan. Police are investigating a purported separatist group's claim of responsibility.

The Taleban is also increasingly resorting to kidnapping local businessmen for ransom. At least 200 people have been taken in North West Frontier Province over the past few months and released on payment of huge sums money.

Times Recommends

• Please help: maimed children of war want their lives back
• Cabal seizes diamond riches to buy power
• White House gatecrashers got to the president