Pakistan confirms killing of Chinese couple in Balochistan after DNA testing

Two Chinese nationals were reportedly kidnapped by militants from Balochistan province.

Pic courtesy: en.wikipedia.org

Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday said that DNA testing has confirmed the death of two Chinese nationals, who were reportedly kidnapped by militants from Balochistan province earlier this year.

"The Government of Pakistan expresses its deep sense of shock and grief on this brutal act of terrorism," the statement read.

The confirmation from the Foreign Office comes months after the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group claimed responsibility for killing the couple, who had reportedly been 'preaching' in Balochistan under the garb of learning Urdu.

The ISIS on its propaganda news agency 'Amaq' had uploaded a statement in Arabic, saying it had killed the two abducted Chinese nationals.

Chinese couple Lee Zing Yang, 24, and Meng Li Si, 26, had been killed in June - a month after they were kidnapped from the Jinnah Town area of Quetta on May 24.

Their bodies were found in mountains after a shootout with militants but their identity was not ascertained.

As per reports, another Chinese woman had escaped the abduction.

In June, the interior ministry was informed that the Chinese were involved in preaching instead of business activities their declared purpose for visiting Pakistan, PTI reported.

It was not clear what the interior ministry suspected them of 'preaching'.

The then interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had ordered an initial review, followed by regulation and the streamlining of the visa process to avoid the misuse of business visas by foreign nationals.

China has deployed hundreds of its workers to work for the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is being opposed by the Baloch nationalists.

(With PTI inputs)