QUETTA:
Unknown gunmen late on Thursday night attacked the camp of a construction company in Khuzdar district, abducting 18 workers and setting fire to several vehicles and heavy machinery.
The incident – the second mass abduction of workers in Balochistan within 24 hours – has raised security fears across the province. According to officials, the attack took place in Kaleri, located around 80 kilometers from Khuzdar in Nall tehsil.
Dozens of heavily armed assailants first blocked the main road to halt traffic before storming the camp and crushing plant of a private construction company.
The firm was working on a major road project linking Khuzdar to Basima in Washuk district, which is a key component of the province’s ongoing development projects.
According to Levis Force chief Ali Akbar, the attackers targeted the company’s crushing plant and set fire to vehicles and construction equipment.
“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 workers into their vehicles and fled 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 are still missing.
“Efforts are on to recover from them,” he said, warning that the attack would seriously disrupt the company’s operations and had spread fear and anxiety among workers.
As soon as the incident was reported, security forces launched a joint operation. Personnel from Levis Force, Frontier Corps (FC) and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) reached the spot, cordoned off the area and began an investigation.
According to officials, a search operation had also been launched with the help of local tribal elders to trace the kidnapped workers, though no success has been achieved so far.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the area has long been home to Baloch separatist groups, who 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 workers whom they accuse of being part of what they describe as outside interference in the region.
The incident marks the second major abduction of workers within 24 hours as unidentified gunmen had on Thursday morning kidnapped nine construction workers from Dasht in Mastung district who remain missing.
The Balochistan government condemned the latest incident and promised swift justice, with officials saying “the perpetrators will soon be arrested and brought to justice”.
