Three of four Mercy Corps employees abducted in Pakistan in February have been released, Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer said today.

"We are very happy and relieved to inform you that three members of our Pakistan team have been released after nearly five months in captivity," he wrote in a statement. "All three are unharmed and are being reunited with their families in Pakistan."

Relief mixed with grief over the death of the fourth employee, a 52-year-old driver with nine children, at the hands of the kidnappers in mid-June. The group was abducted Feb. 18 as they were driving to an office in Quetta, in the southwest.

The BBC reported that pro-Taliban gunmen had sent Mercy Corps a videotape of the employee being murdered and demanded a ransom of $1.2 million or else the remaining three would also be killed. The report quoted Dr Saeedullah Khan, head of Mercy Corps operations in Quetta, saying the Pakistani government had done little to help free the hostages.

The three employees freed are Dr. Syed Asif Abbas, 50; Iftikhar Shafiq, 34, and Beeburg Suleman, 27. The men, all Pakistani nationals, were working with local district health officials in Balochistan province to implement health programs.

"While we celebrate the safe return of our three colleagues, we are still mourning the loss of our fourth abducted team member, Habibullah, who was killed by his captives earlier last month," Keny-Guyer said.

Mercy Corps learned of their release from their families.

"We don't know the identities of the abductors, or exactly why they were taken," spokeswoman Joy Portella said. Family members and tribal elders were negotiating with the captors.

As for the future of its operations there, Keny-Guyer said Pakistan programs are still suspended and undergoing review.

The Portland-based organization has been working in Pakistan since 1986 on health, economic development and emergency relief programs.

"While we remain deeply committed to the people of Pakistan, the safety of our team remains our number one priority," he said. "We need to ensure that, if our work continues, it can be done effectively and without putting our team at risk."

World Vision suspended its operations in Pakistan in March after gunmen attacked its offices and killed six Pakistani employees in Manshera district north of Islamabad.