QUETTA:
Unknown gunmen attacked the camp of a construction company in Khuzdar district on Thursday evening, kidnapping 18 workers and setting fire to several vehicles and heavy machinery.
The incident – the second mass kidnapping of workers in Balochistan in 24 hours – has heightened security fears across the province. According to authorities, the attack took place in Kaleri, located around 80 kilometers from Khuzdar in Nall tehsil.
Dozens of heavily armed attackers first blocked the main road to stop traffic before storming the camp and the crushing plant of a private construction company.
The company was working on a major road project linking Khuzdar to Basima in Washuk district, which is a key part of the ongoing development projects in the province.
According to Ali Akbar, head of the Lévis Force, the attackers targeted the company’s crushing plant, burning vehicles and construction equipment.
“At least eight vehicles, including heavy equipment and transport trucks, were seriously damaged by the fire,” he said, adding that the attackers then forced the workers to get into their vehicles and flee into the nearby mountains.
Most of the kidnapped workers belong to Sindh province, who came to Balochistan in search of work.
Company director Zulfiqar Ahmed confirmed that the gunmen initially kidnapped 20 workers, then released two, while 18 others remained missing.
“Efforts are underway for their recovery,” he said, warning that the attack would seriously disrupt the company’s operations and had sown fear and anxiety among workers.
As soon as the incident was reported, security forces launched a joint operation. Members of the Lévis Force, the Frontier Corps (FC) and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) went to the scene, cordoned off the area and began an investigation.
According to officials, a search operation was also launched with the help of local tribal elders to trace the kidnapped workers, but no success has been achieved so far.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the region has long been home to Baloch separatist groups, which previously targeted construction companies, road projects and other development initiatives.
These groups are known to oppose government-led infrastructure projects and often attack non-local workers, whom they accuse of participating in what they describe as outside interference in the region.
This is the second major kidnapping of workers in 24 hours. On Thursday morning, unidentified gunmen kidnapped nine construction workers in Dasht, Mastung district, who remain missing.
The Balochistan government condemned the latest incident and promised speedy justice, with officials saying “the perpetrators will soon be arrested and brought to justice.”
