ISLAMABAD: Intelligence agencies have rescued a Chinese tourist kidnapped last year in an area close to insurgency-prone regions, it was announced on Sunday.

The unidentified man was abducted in May last year from Daraban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the border with Baluchistan province and the South Waziristan tribal district, both of which are rife with insurgents.

“The Chinese tourist was recovered on Saturday night after a successful operation and is to be handed over to the Chinese embassy in Islamabad anytime soon,” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told a press conference in Islamabad, without giving details.

Officials said the man was apparently travelling through the area by bicycle when he was seized last year.

A faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had said it was behind the abduction.

But Khan did not disclose from where and under what circumstances the tourist was rescued.

Know more: Video purports to show kidnapped Chinese tourist

However, a video released by militants in May this year had purported to show a Chinese tourist kidnapped by Taliban-allied fighters a year ago asking for his government to help him be released.

A militant known to belong to a Taliban splinter group called Jaish al-Hadeed had released the video. While it could not be independently verified, the man in the video resembled other known photographs of Hong Xudong, kidnapped in May 2014.

In the video, the man identified as Hong asks for the Chinese government to fulfil his kidnappers’ ransom demands.

Hong went missing after entering Pakistan from India in April 2014. He was abducted on May 19 in the town of Daraban on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan.

Police only found his passport, bicycle and belongings. Following Mr Hong’s abduction, the leader of a Taliban splinter group called Shehryar Mehsud, Abdullah Bahar, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Bahar later was killed by a suspected US drone strike.

It’s unclear what relationship Shehryar Mehsud has with Jaish al-Hadeed, though Taliban splinter groups frequently cooperate with each other.

China is one of Pakistan's main allies, investing billions of dollars in infrastructure projects including nuclear power plants, dams and roads.

China in April announced it would invest $46 billion in infrastructure, energy and transport projects as part of an ambitious project dubbed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Opinion

Editorial

China security ties
Updated 14 Nov, 2024

China security ties

If China's security concerns aren't addressed satisfactorily, it may affect bilateral ties. CT cooperation should be pursued instead of having foreign forces here.
Steep price
14 Nov, 2024

Steep price

THE Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is in big trouble. A new study unveiled at the ongoing COP29 reveals that if high...
A high-cost plan
14 Nov, 2024

A high-cost plan

THE government has approved an expensive plan for FBR in the hope of tackling its deep-seated inefficiencies. The...
United stance
Updated 13 Nov, 2024

United stance

It would've been better if the OIC-Arab League summit had announced practical measures to punish Israel.
Unscheduled visit
13 Nov, 2024

Unscheduled visit

Unusual IMF visit shows the lender will closely watch implementation of programme goals to prevent it from derailing.
Bara’s businesswomen
13 Nov, 2024

Bara’s businesswomen

Bara’s brave women have proven that with the right support, societal barriers can be overcome.