ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 15 (UPI) -- A Swiss couple, abducted in Balochistan by the Pakistani Taliban last July, were free Friday, and in the care of the Swiss Embassy in Islamabad, officials said.
The hostages, Olivier David Och, 32, and Daniela Widmer, 29, arrived at a military checkpoint Thursday and a helicopter later brought them to Islamabad and were handed over to the Swiss Embassy, The New York Times reported.
The circumstances surrounding the end of their ordeal remained unclear.
The New York Times quoted Pakistani military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas as saying the two had escaped. However, a Pakistani university chancellor, still held captive, had said in a recently released video the Pakistani government had agreed to pay "millions of rupees" and to free 100 prisoners in exchange for the Swiss hostages, the report said.
Pakistan's Nation newspaper quoted Abbas as saying: "They escaped, this is what they have told us. They reported to our checkpost."
The two were on holiday when they were abducted at gunpoint July 1, 2011, from Balochistan province's Loralai district.
The Nation quoted their captors as saying the two were freed after an undisclosed ransom amount was paid.
The Times of India said months after the couple was abducted, the Pakistani Taliban had made several demands including $3.3 million in ransom and the release of 100 imprisoned Taliban fighters.
The New York Times report said the Pakistani Taliban and militant factions linked to it have taken to such kidnappings to earn revenue and for propaganda purposes.
The report said besides foreigners, the Taliban has also been targeting Pakistanis.
