QUETTA: Amred men believed to be associateed with Fitna al Hindustan abducted seven workers employed by a private mining company in Chagai district of Balochistan, police sources said.
Four of the abducted workers are from Gilgit-Baltistan, while the remaining three are local residents, according to police sources.
The incident took place at a mining site in Mahian Kor, located around 400 kilometres southwest of Quetta, where armed men riding motorcycles attacked the private mining company’s facilities and took seven workers with them.
The attackers reportedly remained at the mining site for several hours and took away vehicles, fuel and other equipment, sources said.
The items taken by the armed men included a Zambad vehicle, a 4×4 pickup, more than 20 solar panels, a Zaranj motorcycle, bedding, kitchen equipment, gas cylinders, 2,500 litres of diesel and 1,500 litres of petrol, along with other supplies.
The attackers also damaged machinery at the mining site before leaving, according to police sources.
Identities of Abducted Workers
Police identified the four workers from Gilgit-Baltistan as Wajahat, Wajid, Shahid and Sabir.
The three local workers were identified as Ziauddin, Shah Saleem and Saeed Muhammad, police sources said.
Police and district administration officials reached the site after receiving information about the incident. A case was subsequently registered, and a search operation was launched to trace the abductors and recover the missing workers.
No worker had been recovered at the time of publication, and no group had claimed responsibility for the abductions.
Security Situation in Balochistan
The incident comes amid continued security concerns in Balochistan, particularly in Chagai and other mineral-rich areas of the province.
In previous incidents in Chagai and elsewhere in Balochistan, Baloch militant groups have claimed responsibility for attacks targeting security personnel, infrastructure and mining-related activities.
A day earlier, unidentified individuals blew up an 18-inch gas pipeline in Bolan, disrupting gas supplies to Quetta and several other areas of Balochistan.
The Balochistan government has repeatedly alleged that militant groups operating as proxies of India and Afghanistan are carrying out attacks and acts of sabotage to destabilise the province and hinder its economic development. Security forces continue operations against militant networks across Balochistan, according to provincial authorities.
