At least 14 construction workers were abducted in two separate incidents in Barkhan and Khuzdar districts of Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, according to police and local sources.
The first incident occurred in Barkhan district, near Dhola Nullah in the Aishani area, where armed militants abducted three workers employed at a stone-crushing plant. Police sources said the abducted laborers belong to Musakhel district.
There are also unconfirmed reports that militants attacked a nearby police check post in the same area and seized weapons from three police personnel, though officials said the incident has not yet been officially verified.
The second and larger incident took place in Mola area of Khuzdar, where 11 workers associated with a private construction company were abducted. According to Khuzdar police, the motives behind the abduction remain unclear, but suspicion has fallen on the banned militant group Baloch Liberation Army, which has previously been involved in kidnappings for coercion and extortion in the province.
A senior police officer said that six of the abducted workers are from Sindh, and were engaged in a World Bank-funded project aimed at lining and improving drainage channels in the area.
Police sources further stated that after the abduction, militants reportedly entered Mola town and attempted to seize weapons from the local police station, but failed. There are also reports of militants being injured during an exchange of fire, although these claims are still being verified.
Balochistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence targeting civilians, security forces, development projects, and laborers working on infrastructure schemes. On January 31, at least 37 civilians were killed in attacks attributed to the banned BLA, while 216 militants were killed in subsequent security operations.
Security forces have launched investigations and search operations in both districts, while authorities say efforts are underway to ensure the safe recovery of the abducted workers.
Security officials say the banned militant group Balochistan Liberation Army has increasingly been involved in extortion targeting construction companies operating in Balochistan.
According to officials, when companies refuse to pay extortion demands, militants resort to abducting laborers and targeting construction machinery to exert pressure. In January, a woman named Nargis was abducted in a separate incident, with her family claiming that the assailants were riding motorcycles and carrying flags associated with the banned BLA.The family said she was taken to nearby mountains and expressed fears that she could be coerced into facilitating militant activities.
Security analysts note that women, construction workers, and development projects have increasingly become soft targets for BLA militants, particularly as sustained counter-terrorism operations have significantly reduced the group’s capacity to directly attack security forces.
In one of the deadliest recent incidents, a January 31 attack attributed to the BLA left 37 civilians dead, including three children, as well as a mosque imam in Noshki and his wife, underscoring the growing threat to non-combatants in the province.
