Gunmen abduct 11 construction company employees in DI Khan, six rescued

A group of unidentified gunmen abducted 11 employees of a construction company while they were en route to Quetta from Islamabad. Six of the abductees were rescued, while security forces launched an operation to recover those still missing.

The abduction occurred along the Dera Ismail Khan–Zhob Highway, within the jurisdiction of the Daraban police station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to local authorities, the employees were traveling in two to three vehicles when they were intercepted by gunmen near the Gara Isa Khan area. The attackers forcibly took the workers and their vehicles to an undisclosed location.

Daraban police officials reported that one of the vehicles got stuck in a nearby forest, prompting the kidnappers to abandon five individuals, who later returned and reported the incident.

A search and rescue operation, involving local police and security forces, is currently underway in the surrounding areas. Sources in the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) confirmed the abduction occurred near the Domanda Bridge, which connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Balochistan.

In total, 16 employees were traveling in three vehicles from Islamabad to Quetta. Armed men seized two vehicles and abducted 11 workers. Police teams were able to track and rescue six individuals, while the whereabouts of the remaining five remain unknown.

This incident followed another recent abduction in Balochistan. Just two days earlier, Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Hanif Noorzai of the Tamp area in Kech district was kidnapped by unknown assailants from the Sreenkin region while traveling to Quetta with his family for Eid holidays.

Six armed men stopped his government vehicle near Turbat, took him away, and left his family and bodyguard unharmed. Law enforcement agencies have since cordoned off areas of Turbat and Sreenkin as part of their ongoing search.

Moreover, the region has recently seen a rise in violent attacks. On May 30, terrorists affiliated with Fitnat-ul-Hindustan carried out an attack in the Sorab district, targeting residences of government officials.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Hidayat Buledi was martyred while defending his family. The assailants looted a bank and set fire to government homes during the assault.