IBNS-CMEDIA: At least three Pakistani excise officials were kidnapped at gunpoint after unidentified armed men attacked a departmental checkpoint on the Dalbandin–Taftan Highway in Balochistan’s Chagai district, media reports said on Tuesday.
According to Dawn News, the attack took place on Monday evening when around 30 heavily armed men surrounded the temporary checkpoint, which had been set up for routine inspections.
The attackers allegedly held the excise personnel on duty at gunpoint before abducting at least three officials. They also fled with two official vehicles and service weapons, the report said.
Police and other law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene after receiving information about the attack and cordoned off the area. A search operation has since been launched to locate the abducted officials and track down the assailants.
Authorities have also begun an investigation to establish the identity of the attackers and determine the route they used to escape.
The incident comes amid persistent security challenges in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most volatile province, where militant violence has continued to target security personnel, civilians and critical infrastructure.
A monthly security assessment released in early June by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) identified Balochistan as the country’s most violence-hit region, recording 24 militant attacks across multiple districts. The report said the attacks targeted civilians, tribal leaders, government-linked individuals and key infrastructure, underscoring the province’s deteriorating security situation.
