Seven miners abducted in Chagai, including four from G-B

QUETTA: Seven workers employed by a private mining company were abducted by unidentified armed men in Balochistan’s Chagai district, police said on Thursday. Four of the abducted workers are from Gilgit-Baltistan.

The incident took place in the Mahian Kaur area of Chagai, around 400 kilometres southwest of Quetta, where armed men riding motorcycles attacked a private mining company’s mining site and abducted seven workers who were on duty.

According to police, the attackers held the workers hostage and damaged machinery at the site before taking them away.

Police sources identified the four workers from Gilgit as Wajahat, Wajid, Shahid and Sabir. The three local workers were identified as Ziauddin, Shah Saleem and Saeed Mohammad.

Armed men loot mining equipment

Sources said the attackers remained at the mining site for several hours and took away a Zambad vehicle, a 4×4 pickup, more than 20 solar panels, a Zarnag motorcycle, bedding, kitchen equipment, gas cylinders, 2,500 litres of diesel and 1,500 litres of petrol, along with other items.

Police and district administration officials reached the site after receiving information about the incident. A case was registered and a search operation was launched to trace the abductors and recover the workers.

No group claims responsibility

No group had claimed responsibility for the abductions at the time of reporting, while the workers had also not been recovered.

Several similar incidents have previously been reported in Balochistan, particularly in Chagai, with Baloch militant organisations claiming responsibility for some of them.

The Balochistan government has repeatedly condemned such incidents, describing them as attempts by hostile elements to disrupt development and investment in the province.