Passengers Abducted Near Sardhaka; Rescue Operation Underway

The Balochistan  announced on Thursday that it had received reports of passengers being abducted near Sardhaka. A search and rescue mission has been launched in the area to recover the kidnapped individuals.

According to government spokesperson Shahid Rind, the attacks in Quetta, Kalat, Mastung, and Sardhaka were carried out by militants associated with Fitna-al-Hindustan. He stated that security forces responded promptly and effectively at each of these locations and remain on high alert to ensure the safety of civilians and their property.

While details regarding the incidents in other regions have not yet been disclosed by police or security agencies, the government continues to monitor the situation closely.

In May, authorities designated all terrorist outfits operating in Balochistan under the collective label Fitna-al-Hindustan, a move intended to implicate alleged Indian involvement in regional unrest—a strategy seen by analysts as an effort to rally internal support.

Earlier in March, gunmen killed five people in the Kalmat area of Gwadar by blocking a major highway. In another incident, three urea-laden trailers en route from Gwadar Port were set ablaze in the Tajaban area.

Balochistan has seen a disturbing rise in attacks specifically targeting people from Punjab. In two separate incidents in April 2024, nine passengers were executed after being pulled from a bus near Noshki, while two Punjabi labourers were gunned down in Kech.

These incidents follow a pattern of ethnically motivated violence. In May of the previous year, seven Punjabi barbers were killed near Gwadar. Later in August, 23 travellers were abducted from trucks and buses and fatally shot in Musakhail district.

The Musakhail massacre was part of a broader wave of coordinated attacks by militants from the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group known for targeting both security forces and civilians across the province.

Commenting on the escalating situation, Field Marshal Asim Munir earlier today accused India of intensifying its destabilisation efforts through its alleged proxies — Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan — to pursue a disruptive regional agenda.