Heavy machinery, vehicles burned; later two abductees were released, 18 are still missing
Unidentified gunmen allegedly attacked the camp of a construction company in Khuzdar district and “abducted 20 workers”. The attackers also set fire to several vehicles and heavy machinery, causing significant damage to the site.
Authorities said the incident took place in the remote Kaleri area of Naal, around 80 kilometers from Khuzdar. Armed men reportedly blocked the highway before storming the camp and the private company’s crushing plant. The company was working on a key road project connecting Khuzdar to Basima in Washuk district, as part of Balochistan’s ongoing development plans.
Levies officer Ali Akbar said the attackers set fire to machinery and vehicles at the site, damaging at least eight people, including heavy equipment and transport trucks. “The armed men then forcibly took away several workers with them,” he said, adding that most of the abducted workers were from Sindh province and had gone to work in Balochistan.
Zulfiqar Ahmed, director of the D-Baloch construction company, confirmed that the attackers initially kidnapped 20 workers and then released two. “Eighteen workers are still missing,” he said. “The attack has seriously affected our operations and created fear among staff,” he said.
Learn more: Nine workers kidnapped from construction site in Mastung, Balochistan
Following the incident, security forces including Levies, Frontier Corps and Counter Terrorism Department launched a joint search operation. Authorities cordoned off the area. Local tribal elders provide whatever assistance they can to agencies in their efforts to find missing workers. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and kidnapping of the workers.
Officials noted that armed Baloch insurgent groups were active in the region and had previously targeted road construction projects and non-local workers, accusing them of representing outside interests.
This is the second major kidnapping of workers in Balochistan in a week. A few days earlier, nine workers were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the Dasht area of Mastung district. With the latest incident, the total number of workers kidnapped this week rose to 27.
The recent surge in violence has raised serious security concerns for businesses and workers involved in development projects across the province. The Balochistan government condemned the attack, vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Local residents and analysts warn that such incidents undermine Balochistan’s fragile development process. They urge authorities to implement a comprehensive security strategy to protect workers and ongoing infrastructure projects.
Investigations are ongoing and security forces are continuing their search operations in the affected areas.
