Pakistani Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Pakistani security forces and intelligence agencies were involved in the rescue operation. But Nisar did not disclose from where and under what circumstances the tourist was rescued.
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Pakistan’s interior minister made the announcement on Sunday.
The Chinese man, who had been cycling through, was abducted last May near the western city of Dera. He entered Pakistan in April from India and was on his way to Iran.
The Pakistani Taliban are allied to, but separate from, the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.
A video released in May 2015 showed a man identified as Hong asking the Chinese government to honor his kidnappers’ unspecified ransom demands. Xinhua, citing a statement from the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, said Hong was rescued Saturday and handed over to their diplomats on Sunday, without elaborating.
China is one of Pakistan’s main allies, investing billions of dollars in infrastructure projects including nuclear power plants, dams and roads. There were additionally unconfirmed reports and a feature prior this year demonstrating that Hong was in the guardianship of the Taliban.
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A senior Pakistani commander, , told Reuters soon after the kidnapping that the man was in the Islamist militants’ custody.
