Investigation into IS claim of murdering two Chinese underway: FO

ISLAMABAD: The government is yet to confirm the veracity of the militant Islamic State’s claim of killing two Chinese teachers who were abducted from the provincial capital of Balochistan last month, ARY News reported on Saturday.

IS had claimed earlier this week that its militants had killed two Chinese nationals who were kidnapped from Quetta on March 24.

The investigation into the claims of IS was being carried out, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Friday evening. It added that the Pakistani officials were in constant touch with Chinese government to confirm the authenticity of the claims.

Reiterating the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country, the foreign office said every doable effort will be made to ensure the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan.

Following the IS claims, Pakistan informed China that these two kidnapped Chinese citizens have probably been killed by militants. “China is trying to verify this information and is also ascertaining details about the victims,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying in a statement issued on June 9.

Earlier on March 24, a Chinese man and a woman, running a Chinese language center, were kidnapped from the neighborhood of Jinnah Town in Quetta, whereas another Chinese woman in the incident had managed to break free and ran away from the kidnappers.

A large number of Chinese nationals are working on various projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)  in Balochistan including Gwadar sea port.