Twenty trainee police personnel abducted travelling from Kalat to Nushki
QUETTA: Twenty trainee police personnel were abducted by unidentified armed men on Saturday while travelling between Kalat and Mastung in Balochistan, provincial government and police officials told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.
The Kalat Nushki police abduction took place as the personnel travelled from Kalat to Nushki in a private van during their weekly leave from training.
How the Kalat-Nushki police abduction unfolded
The personnel were former Levies members who had joined the police after the merger of the police and Levies forces. They were receiving training at the Kalat Police Training Centre.
According to the officials, the group had taken the shorter Sarband route from Kalat to Nushki, which connects Kalat and Mastung with Nushki. Armed men intercepted and surrounded their vehicle within the limits of Kalat district.
The attackers took the personnel to the Gargina-Kardgap area of Mastung district before moving them to an undisclosed location, the officials said. The armed men later released the van’s driver and three other civilian passengers some distance away, taking only the police personnel with them.
Who was taken
The abducted personnel belonged to districts of Rakhshan Division: eight from Kharan, five from Nushki, four from Chagai and three from Washuk.
Officials said efforts to recover the personnel had been launched. No group had claimed responsibility at the time of reporting, and the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.
A pattern of targeting in Balochistan
The incident fits a grim pattern of attacks on security personnel and workers in the province. On September 26, one private security guard was killed, two people were wounded and 12 workers were abducted when heavily armed assailants raided a construction company’s base in the Palari area of Nana Sahib Ziarat in Duki district.
On July 30, the bodies of six labourers abducted from the Kalatak area of Kech district were recovered from the Nasirabad area on the outskirts of Turbat, according to the Home Department.
Last month, at least 30 people, including 27 police personnel, were killed when terrorists ambushed police personnel in the Kach Mangi Phase III area of Ziarat. The state identified the attackers as the proxy it calls Fitna al-Hindustan. The attackers also abducted several civilians and police personnel in that assault.
The wider security picture
Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project, a global monitoring organisation, shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold to 2,425 in 2025 from 658 in 2022. Over the same period, TTP attacks increased more than sevenfold.
Security forces have continued operations across the provinces. Two wanted militants were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Dalbandin earlier this week, and the commander of the National Strategic Command has warned adversaries that any miscalculation will draw a response beyond imagination.
The Levies-to-police merger is part of a broader effort to professionalise law enforcement in Balochistan’s far-flung districts, where the Levies historically served as the primary tribal-area force. Saturday’s incident shows the risks facing the very personnel going through that transition.
The Peshawar High Court will hear the challenge to the K-P emergency on October 20, as the security crisis continues to shape the national political agenda.
The original reporting on this development was published by The Express Tribune.
FAQ
How many police personnel were abducted in Balochistan on Saturday?
Twenty trainee police personnel were abducted while travelling from Kalat to Nushki in a private van during their weekly leave.
Where did the abduction take place?
The vehicle was intercepted within the limits of Kalat district on the Sarband route. The personnel were taken to the Gargina-Kardgap area of Mastung district and then moved to an undisclosed location.
Who were the abducted personnel?
They were former Levies members from Kharan, Nushki, Chagai and Washuk districts who had joined the police after the Levies-police merger and were training at the Kalat Police Training Centre.
What is being done to recover them?
Provincial government and police officials say efforts to recover the abducted personnel have been launched. No group had claimed responsibility at the time of reporting.
