PESHAWAR/BEIJING: Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday claimed they had kidnapped two Chinese telecommunications engineers and two Pakistanis and that abductions would continue until the government stopped attacking militants.
Talking to Daily Times over telephone, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said the two Chinese engineers, their guard and driver were in the custody of his colleagues. He said the four were in good health.
"Our aim is to hit the government's interests wherever they are. We kidnap everyone irrespective of whether he's Pakistani or Chinese and we'll continue to do this until they stop killing our people," Reuters quoted Khan.
China on Tuesday urged Pakistan to rescue the Chinese engineers. "We have requested that the Pakistan government rescue the two missing staff and ensure their safety," AFP reported foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu as saying.
However, the law enforcement agencies in Dir and Swat districts were still clueless about the whereabouts of the missing.
The spokesman would not say whether the missing persons were in Dir or shifted to Taliban hideouts in Swat.
Locals said the two Chinese were kidnapped from Shal Plam area of Khaal in Lower Dir. daud khattak/agencies