A kidnapped French tourist was freed Friday after three months in captivity in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, a government official said. The Frenchman, who has not been identified, was released in remote Dalbandin district, about 420 km west of the provincial capital of Quetta, local official Mohammad Tufail said. “I can confirm that the French tourist is free. He has been transported to Quetta,” Tufail said. He would not say whether any ransom was paid, but said local elders helped secure the man's release. French President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his “deep relief” the tourist had been freed. A statement from the president's office thanked Pakistani authorities for their “decisive help” in securing the man's release. Gunmen abducted the man in May from a vehicle in which he was riding with other tourists. It was not clear who the kidnappers were.
