QUETTA: As many as 18 labourers working at a marble mine in the Naal area, about 40 kilometres from Khuzdar city, were kidnapped on Sunday, police said.
A large group of armed men entered the mine premises, held the labourers at gunpoint and abducted 18 of them, along with the son of a mine factory’s owner, officials said. The abductors also opened fire on a worker when he attempted to flee, they added.
The abducted labourers are locals from the Wadh and Naal areas.
The mine belongs to Sardar Alam Khan Bizenjo, son of Sardar Aslam Bizenjo, the tribal chief of the Bizenjo tribe. Aslam Bizenjo is affiliated with the National Party and has served as a minister in several Balochistan governments.
While fleeing the scene, the armed men also took away a loader and two vehicles, officials said. Officials said security forces had launched a search operation in the area to trace the abducted labourers. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has said that law and order and national security in Balochistan should be treated as issues beyond political differences.
He stressed that comparisons between the governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, particularly regarding terrorism and national security, must be based on ground realities and practical measures.
The chief minister said he holds JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in high regard and that their personal relationship is based on mutual respect.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, CM Bugti said the Maulana and his party had also been targeted in terrorist attacks. He expressed the hope that the JUI-F chief would take into account the state’s efforts to combat terrorism and the sacrifices made by security forces when commenting on this sensitive national issue.
CM Bugti said the performance of the two provincial governments should be assessed on the basis of their counterterrorism measures, the conduct of their political leadership, and their commitment to eliminating terrorism.
He said that despite political differences between the government and opposition in Balochistan, both sides had maintained a common position against terrorism, demonstrating a commitment to placing national interests above partisan considerations.
The chief minister said his government regularly took the opposition into confidence on counterterrorism strategies, key decisions, and related matters in the Balochistan Assembly. He added that the provincial government was committed to taking all parliamentary parties along.
He cited acknowledgements by Opposition Leader Mir Younis Aziz Zehri and a recent speech by Balochistan National Party (Mengal) parliamentary leader Mir Jahanzeb Mengal as evidence of the province’s political leadership recognising its responsibility in the fight against terrorism.
CM Bugti said the JUI-F, the National Party, the BNP-Mengal, and other parliamentary parties shared a common stance against terrorism.
He stressed that the fight against terrorism was not merely a matter of political statements or claims but a shared responsibility of the state and the entire nation.
Pakistan, he said, was continuing its efforts to eliminate terrorism, while officers and personnel of the Pakistan Army and other security institutions were making extraordinary sacrifices in the struggle.
Describing Maulana Fazlur Rehman as a senior politician whose party had also suffered human and political losses due to terrorism, CM Bugti said comparisons between the governments of KP and Balochistan must consider their practical counterterrorism measures, coordination among political leaders, and cooperation with state institutions.
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