MIRANSHAH: Gunmen released a journalist Friday a day after he was kidnapped in one of Pakistan's tribal areas on the Afghan border, a relative said.

“Armed men released Lal Wazir and dropped him near Azam Warsak Bazar today,” his uncle Ibrahim Wazir told AFP.

Lal Wazir, 38, who works for a local newspaper in the South Waziristan town of Azam Warsak, was taken from a shop by six masked gunmen on Thursday.

“Lal is currently unable to speak to anybody but he arrived back home in safety,” his uncle added.

A local official confirmed the release. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

The tribal areas are a haven for militants and according to the press campaign group Reporters Without Borders, Pakistan was the third deadliest country for journalists last year, behind Syria and Somalia.