What happened
According to a report by Dawn, 20 under-training police personnel were abducted by unidentified armed men in the Mastung district of Balochistan. A senior government official and local police confirmed that the trainees were intercepted while traveling in a passenger van on the Quetta-Karachi Highway.
The recruits were enrolled at the Kalat Police Training Centre and were traveling home for the weekend when the attack took place. Armed men riding motorcycles and carrying automatic weapons stopped the vehicle, taking the trainees and the van to an undisclosed location. The assailants released the vehicle's driver alongside three other passengers who were in the van.
Key facts
- The kidnapped personnel belong to the Rakhshan division and were originally part of the Levies Force, which has since been merged with the police.
- Security forces have launched a search operation in adjacent mountainous areas, though no information regarding the whereabouts of the personnel has emerged.
- No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
- Specific details regarding the identities of the attackers or ransom demands are not specified in the source; please check the official notice.
Why it matters
As reported by Dawn, the incident follows a series of targeted abductions of officials across Balochistan. A day before the trainees were taken, Rakhshan Division Commissioner Asad Ullah Kakar was kidnapped in the Kharan district. In a separate case, Kharan Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Soomro was released safely on October 3 after nearly two weeks in captivity, following negotiations between local tribal elders and his captors. Additionally, three excise officials were abducted on July 21 following an assault on a checkpost in the Chagai district.
Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 17, 2026 · Photo by Maxim Potkin ❄ on Unsplash