QUETTA: Five truck drivers travelling for work were allegedly abducted along with their vehicles by militants linked to Fitna al-Hindustan (FAH) in Khad Kocha area of Mastung district, according to sources.
The sources said five trucks travelling from Quetta to Karachi were stopped near Injeri Cross on August 27, where armed men took control of the vehicles and abducted their drivers.
The incident is being viewed as part of a series of attacks targeting drivers, workers and other civilians engaged in earning a livelihood in Balochistan.
On August 26, militants allegedly linked to FAH stopped three Mazda trucks in Rodenjo area of Kalat and abducted four drivers and three conductors along with the vehicles, according to the sources.
A few days earlier, on August 21, workers employed in orchards were targeted in the Geet area of Khad Kocha, where four workers were killed and three others injured.
On August 11, four workers were also reportedly abducted from a chromite mine near Chahater in Chagai district. Similar incidents have also been reported in Basima, Turbat and Khuzdar.
Officials said the incidents indicated a pattern of targeting civilians, labourers and other people dependent on daily employment.
They said attacks on people travelling along highways and transport routes, as well as workers at orchards, mines and construction sites, not only affect their families but also disrupt economic activity in Balochistan.
Officials described the attacks as “economic terrorism” and serious violations of human rights, saying the seizure of trucks, abduction of drivers and targeting of workers put livelihoods at risk and create fear among local communities.
They also questioned what they described as the silence of human rights organisations over such incidents, asking why they did not speak out when militant groups targeted ordinary Baloch families, workers and people earning a living.
The statement described FAH militants as “anti-people and anti-development elements”, saying their activities directly affect employment, businesses, transportation and development projects in the province.
Officials said the state would continue operations against militants, take measures to dismantle their networks and ensure the protection of civilians, workers, transporters and economic activity.
They added that those targeting the livelihoods and future of the people of Balochistan would not succeed in achieving their objectives.
