ISLAMABAD: Russia’s embassy in Pakistan said on Tuesday it was verifying reports that one of its citizens had been abducted by militants from Dera Ismail Khan district in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Insurgents often attack Pakistani security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese working on Chinese-funded projects across the country, but Russians have not been previously targeted.
Most Russians who travel to Pakistan are climbers who scale mountains in the scenic north, home to five of the 14 highest independent peaks in the world known as the eight-thousanders.
“The Embassy of Russia in Pakistan is verifying reports about the alleged abduction of a Russian citizen in Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the mission said on X, giving no further details.
The announcement comes days after a small militant group headed by commander Gul Bahadur said it had captured a Russian national in Dera Ismail Khan. The group released a photo showing a man sitting with two bearded men.
Local police told the AP news agency they had not been approached by the Russian Embassy about the reported abduction.
Reports of the alleged abduction come as a Russian parliamentary delegation is currently visiting Pakistan, led by Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko, who has met with the Pakistani prime minister, army chief and other senior leaders.
Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have warmed up to each other in recent years through regular business and trade interactions. Pakistan has also started purchasing Russian crude oil at a discounted rate as well as LPG since last year.
