Unidentified gunmen kidnapped 18 labourers after launching a violent attack on a construction company’s camp in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, late Thursday night. The assailants also set fire to several vehicles and heavy machinery, causing extensive damage to the site.
According to security officials, the attack occurred in the Klari area of Naal, about 80 kilometres from Khuzdar. Dozens of armed men reportedly blocked the main highway before storming the camp and crushing plant of a private firm working on a strategic road project linking Khuzdar to Basima in Washuk district.
Levis in-charge Ali Akbar confirmed that the attackers torched at least eight vehicles, including trucks and construction equipment, before abducting the workers. “Most of the kidnapped labourers belong to Sindh and had come to Balochistan for work,” he said.
Zulfiqar Ahmed, manager of the construction company D-Baluch, said that the assailants initially kidnapped 20 workers but later released two. “Eighteen are still missing,” he added, noting that the incident has spread panic among employees and disrupted ongoing operations.
Security forces, including the Levis, Frontier Constabulary (FC), and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), have launched a search and rescue operation with the help of local tribal elders. However, there has been no claim of responsibility and no trace of the abducted workers so far.
Armed Baloch militant groups have frequently targeted road construction projects and non-local labourers, accusing them of serving “external interests.” This marks the second major abduction in a week, following a similar incident in Mastung’s Dasht area, where nine labourers were kidnapped and remain missing — bringing the total number of abducted workers to 27.
The Balochistan government condemned the incident and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Local residents described the attacks as part of a deliberate campaign to destabilize the province’s economic development, urging the authorities to implement a comprehensive security plan to protect national projects and the workforce.
