18 Marble Mine Workers Abducted in Khuzdar, Balochistan as Armed Men Storm Naal Site

KHUZDAR: As many as 18 labourers working at a marble mine in the Naal area of Khuzdar district were kidnapped on Sunday when a large group of armed men stormed the site, held the workers at gunpoint and took them away to an unknown location, police said, in the second mass abduction in Balochistan in two days.

Main News Report

The abduction took place in the remote Naal area, about 40 kilometres from Khuzdar city, when dozens of armed men arrived at the marble mine in vehicles and on motorcycles and entered the premises, officials told Dawn. The attackers held the labourers at gunpoint and abducted 18 of them along with the son of a mine factory's owner. They also opened fire on a worker who attempted to flee.

• When: Sunday, in the Naal area of Khuzdar district, Balochistan
• Who was taken: 18 labourers — locals from the Wadh and Naal areas — plus the son of a mine factory's owner
• How: Armed men in vehicles and on motorcycles stormed the site, opened fire, rounded up the workers and fled
• What else was taken: A loader and two vehicles from the mining site, officials said
• Casualty: One worker, identified as Rashid, sustained a bullet wound to his leg and is reported to be out of danger
• Status: Security forces have launched a search operation in the area; no group has claimed responsibility

Background Context

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, according to Dawn.

The abduction follows a pattern of attacks on workers and commercial operations in the region. On Saturday, unidentified armed men hijacked a bus near Mastung on the Quetta-Karachi highway and abducted 20 trainee police officers from the Kalat Police Training Centre. Their whereabouts remain unknown. A day before that, the Inter-Services Public Relations said security forces had killed eight terrorists in intelligence-based operations in Balochistan.

Bisaat News noted that a similar incident took place in the same Nal area in October 2025, when unidentified armed men abducted 18 labourers from a construction company's camp and set several vehicles and pieces of heavy machinery on fire. Workers at remote sites face particular security challenges because of the distances involved and the limited presence of law enforcement personnel.

Reactions and Statements

Police in Khuzdar confirmed the incident and said officials had launched a search operation in the area to trace the abducted labourers, Dawn reported. The Station House Officer of Nal, Ghulam Mustafa, told reporters the attackers seized the workers after opening fire at the site near Baisar Mountain.

According to a PTI report, the police and the provincial government were yet to officially confirm the incident on Sunday, though two police officers speaking on condition of anonymity said 18 workers had been taken away. The BBC's Urdu service, citing government officials, reported that 18 people — 17 workers and the mine owner's son — were abducted from the Bisar Anari area of Nal tehsil late at night.

Why This News Matters

• A second mass abduction in two days: Coming a day after the Mastung bus hijacking, the Khuzdar incident points to a coordinated wave of abductions sweeping Balochistan rather than isolated attacks.
• Workers and commercial sites under threat: The targeting of a marble mine — and the theft of a loader and vehicles — shows armed groups are striking economic lifelines in the province, raising fears for the safety of workers at mining and development projects.
• A repeat of last year's playbook: The near-identical Nal abduction of October 2025 suggests the same tactics and geography are being reused, putting pressure on security forces to secure remote work sites.
• No claim, no motive yet: With no group claiming responsibility and police yet to establish a motive, the incident keeps Balochistan's security situation in sharp national focus.

Future Developments

Security forces are continuing search operations in the Naal and Wadh areas to trace the abducted labourers, and further details are expected as the investigation progresses. The incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of security arrangements for commercial and development sites across Balochistan, particularly in Khuzdar district, which has experienced prolonged security challenges.

Whether the abductions lead to a ransom demand, a claim of responsibility, or a successful rescue operation will determine how the provincial government responds. For now, the fate of the 18 workers — and the 20 police trainees taken a day earlier near Mastung — remains the province's most pressing security question.

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