Gunmen abduct 18 labourers in Khuzdar | The Express Tribune

QUETTA:

Unknown armed men attacked the camp of a construction company in Khuzdar district late Thursday night, abducting 18 labourers and setting several vehicles and heavy machinery on fire.

The incident – the second mass abduction of workers in Balochistan within 24 hours – has heightened security fears across the province. According to officials, the attack took place in Kaleri, located about 80 kilometres from Khuzdar in the Nall tehsil.

Dozens of heavily armed assailants first blocked the main road to halt traffic before storming the camp and the crush plant of a private construction company.

The firm was working on a major road project connecting Khuzdar to Basima in the Washuk district, which is a key component of the province’s ongoing development schemes.

According to Levis Force In-charge Ali Akbar, the attackers targeted the company’s crush plant, setting vehicles and construction equipment ablaze.

“At least eight vehicles, including heavy machinery and transport trucks, were badly damaged in the fire,” he said, adding that the assailants then forced the labourers into their vehicles and escaped into the nearby mountains.

Most of the abducted workers belong to Sindh province, who had come to Balochistan in search of work.

The company’s manager, Zulfiqar Ahmed, confirmed that the gunmen initially abducted 20 workers, but later released two, while 18 remain missing.

“Efforts are underway for their recovery,” he said, warning that the attack would seriously disrupt the company’s operations and had spread fear and anxiety among the workers.

As soon as the incident was reported, security forces launched a joint operation. Personnel from the Levis Force, Frontier Corps (FC) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) reached the site, cordoned off the area and began an investigation.

According to officials, a search operation had also been initiated with the help of local tribal elders to trace the kidnapped workers, though no success had been achieved so far.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the area has long been home to Baloch separatist groups, which have previously targeted construction companies, road projects and other development initiatives.

The groups are known to oppose government-led infrastructure projects and often attack non-local labourers, whom they accuse of being part of what they describe as external interference in the region.

The incident marks the second major abduction of labourers within 24 hours, as on Thursday morning, unidentified armed men had kidnapped nine construction workers from Dasht in Mastung district, who remain missing.

The Balochistan government condemned the latest incident and vowed swift justice, with officials saying that “the perpetrators will be arrested soon and brought to justice”.