Tributes paid to Scots aid worker killed in Pakistan Published on Monday 30 April 2012 12:17 TRIBUTES have been flooding in for a Scottish aid worker Khalil Dale, whose body was found dumped in an orchard in Pakistan. Khalil Dale killed by kidnappers in Pakistan Mr Dale "wanted to make the world a better place" - former colleague Prime Minister condemns "shocking and merciless act" Mr Dale, from Dumfries, was abducted at gunpoint in January while working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Baluchistan province. His kidnappers left a note on his body, saying he had been killed because they had not received a ransom. The 60-year-old Scot had been awarded the MBE for his humanitarian work overseas. Mr Dale, who changed his name from Ken when he became a Muslim, was engaged to be married and had been living in Pakistan for nearly a year. Friends and colleagues said Mr Dale had devoted his life to caring for others. A former colleague Sheila Howat worked with Mr Dale at Dumfries Infirmary, where he was a staff nurse, and had known him for 25 years. She said: "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. 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. Mrs Howat said Mr Dale's fiancee Anne, who is also a nurse, lives in Australia. She added: "I was so happy that he had finally found happiness. I think their engagement happened quite recently. Mr Dale, who had shared a home with his mother in Dumfries until her death in 2007, also leaves a brother, who lives in New Zealand. He was travelling home from a local school, in a clearly-marked ICRC vehicle, when kidnappers bundled him into a car in the city of Quetta on 5 January. The identities of his captors are unknown, but the region is home to separatist and Islamist militants who have kidnapped for ransom before. David Cameron, the Prime Minister, was among those paying tribute to the Scot. He said: "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 he learned of the death "with great sadness," adding that "tireless efforts" had been made over the past months to secure Mr Dale's release. Mr Hague said: "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." Sean Maguire, of the ICRC, confirmed that the organisation had been in contact with the kidnappers but refused to go into details. He said they had a policy of not paying ransoms. "We said that we had some contact with the abductors but we wouldn't want to give succour to future kidnappers by saying we countenanced paying a ransom," he said. We did everything possible to try to get Khalil out and we are very sad that our efforts failed.