Pakistan today said that DNA testing has confirmed the death of two Chinese nationals, who were reportedly kidnapped by militants from the restive Balochistan province earlier this year.
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.
The bodies of Lee and Meng were found in mountains after a shootout with militants but their identity was not ascertained.
In June, the interior ministry was informed that the Chinese were involved in preaching instead of business activities their declared purpose for visiting Pakistan.
The DNA reports have confirmed that the two persons killed in Balochistan were the same two Chinese nationals, who were kidnapped from Quetta, according to a statement by the Foreign Office today.
The confirmation from the Foreign Office comes months after the Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for killing the couple, who had reportedly been 'preaching' in Balochistan under the garb of learning Urdu.
"The Government of Pakistan expresses its deep sense of shock and grief on this brutal act of terrorism," the statement read, while extending condolences to Beijing and to the Chinese couple's relatives.
It was not clear what the interior ministry suspected them of "preaching". The interior ministry had also confirmed the two Chinese had been killed but it was not clear if their bodies have been found.
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 had earlier asked Pakistan to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of its nationals and institutions in the country, after reports of the killing of the Chinese couple.
Chinese interest in Balochistan has spiked in recent years after the announcement of the USD 50 billion China- Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which plans to connect the Pakistani port of Gwadar to Xinjiang in China.
In the past, China has asked Islamabad to improve security, especially in Balochistan, where it is building the Gwadar Port and funding roads as part of the CPEC.
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