Chinese kidnapped in Pakistan worked as 'missionaries,' says Global Times

The two kidnapped Chinese nationals, whom ISIL claimed to have executed, were brought to Pakistan by an unnamed South Korean to conduct missionary work, Global Times has reported.

Amaq news agency, an outlet affiliated with the terrorist group, reported on Thursday that ISIL had killed two Chinese nationals it kidnapped in southwestern Baluchistan province in mid-May.

The claims could not however be immediately verified.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday said Chinese authorities had been working with Pakistani authorities since the two unnamed nationals were abducted, noting that a probe is currently underway to verify ISIL claims of the killing.

A Pakistani man injured during the abduction of two Chinese receives medical treatment at a hospital in Quetta on May 24, 2017. /VCG Photo‍

Spokesperson Hua Chunying said Beijing was aware of the announcement and had serious concerns over the alleged incident.

The identities of the Chinese nationals have not been publicized, although Hua said initial investigation indicates they are not a couple and come from different provinces.

The two Chinese were previously reported to be Mandarin teachers at a language center in Jinnah town in Quetta, the capital city of Baluchistan province, however Global Times offered a different account.

The news outlet said it learned from local residents in Jinnah that the two kidnapped were among a group of 13 Chinese nationals who were brought to the town in November last year by a South Korean who runs a school named "ARK," that purportedly teaches Urdu to young people.

But the media organization said the Chinese were working as missionaries, without providing further information on who the South Korean is or how the Chinese nationals were recruited.

The other 11 Chinese reportedly returned home after the kidnapping of their colleagues.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. /VCG Photo

Unnamed locals were quoted as saying the young Chinese stayed in local hotels as students in the language center. However, apart from learning language, they were divided into groups to promote Christianity. They reportedly visited residential houses, played videos related to Christianity and invited locals to take part in religious activities – a behavior was considered as "religious harassment" by some in Jinnah, Global Times said.

According to local media reports, militant gunmen seized the two Chinese as they left the language center last month, while another Chinese woman managed to escape during the confrontation.