Rakhshan Commissioner Asad Ullah Kakar Abducted by Gunmen in Balochistan's Kharan — Second Officer Seized in Weeks

 

Rakhshan Division Commissioner Asad Ullah Kakar has been abducted by unknown armed men near Kharan in Balochistan, in the second kidnapping of a senior administrative officer from the same stretch of highway in as many months, officials told Dawn on Thursday.

Main News Report

The commissioner of Rakhshan Division, a Pakistan Administrative Services officer, was intercepted on the Noshki-Kharan highway in the Barshonki area on Thursday while travelling from Quetta to Kharan in a private car, according to Kharan police. Key details so far:

• Unknown armed men blocked the highway in the Barshonki area and intercepted the commissioner's vehicle.
• The kidnappers initially took away Mr Kakar, his driver and their vehicle, a senior police official told Dawn.
• The driver was later released; it was he who informed officials about the kidnapping after reaching Kharan.
• Officials also said Mr Kakar was travelling without a security squad in a private vehicle, and the provincial government has so far not issued an official statement.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and no official word has been given on the commissioner's whereabouts.

Background Context

This is roughly the same area where Kharan Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Soomro was abducted from last month, making Mr Kakar the second senior officer seized from the Noshki-Kharan corridor in weeks. Both men are Pakistan Administrative Services officers — the province's top tier of civil administration.

Rakhshan Division is the largest division of Balochistan by area, and the province has seen a sustained wave of militant violence targeting security forces, infrastructure and now senior civilian administrators. The repeated targeting of officials on the same highway points to a serious and growing security vacuum along one of the province's key roads.

Reactions and Statements

• Kharan police: Confirmed to Dawn that Mr Kakar was waylaid by unknown armed men while travelling from Quetta to Kharan in a private car.
• Senior police officials: Said the kidnappers took the commissioner, his driver and their vehicle, but later released the driver.
• Balochistan provincial government: Has not officially confirmed the incident and has issued no statement so far, according to officials.
• Officials familiar with the incident said the commissioner had deliberately travelled without a security squad and in a private vehicle to keep his movement low-profile, given the deteriorating law and order situation.

Why This News Matters

The abduction of a divisional commissioner — the highest civil administrative office at the division level — is a direct assault on the state's authority in Balochistan. That it happened in the same corridor where a deputy commissioner was seized last month shows militants are now systematically targeting the civil administration, not just security forces.

It also raises hard questions for the provincial government: two senior PAS officers abducted weeks apart on the same road, and a commissioner travelling without security because even official movement is unsafe. For residents of Balochistan, it is another sign that the security situation is deteriorating rather than stabilising.

Future Developments

Several things will shape what happens next:

• Search and rescue: Security forces are expected to launch a search operation in the Kharan area; the outcome will be watched closely given the unresolved fate of earlier abductees.
• Official response: The Balochistan government and the federal authorities have yet to speak — pressure will mount for a statement and for a security review of the Noshki-Kharan corridor.
• Pattern of targeting: Whether this becomes a sustained campaign against civil officers will determine if more administrators are pulled back from field postings in restive areas.
• Claim of responsibility: No group has claimed the abduction so far; any claim or proof-of-life statement will be the next significant development.

PakInsight Hub will continue to follow this developing story as official details emerge.

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