Gunmen abduct 12 workers after deadly attack in Duki

QUETTA: A private security guard was killed and two others were wounded when heavily armed gunmen attacked a construction company’s base in Duki district of Balochistan on Saturday.

The attack took place in the Palari area of Nana Sahib Ziarat, where the assailants exchanged fire with security guards deployed at the construction site.

Duki Superintendent of Police Mansoor Ahmed Buzdar said security guard Muhtajur-Rehman, who belonged to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, sustained critical bullet wounds during the gunfight and later died.

Another security guard, Imran Wazir, and a local resident, Latif Tareen, were also injured in the firing. They were shifted to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

According to the police official, the attackers entered the workers’ camp and checked their identity cards before taking 12 labourers away at gunpoint. Initial information suggested that 10 of the abducted workers were from Punjab, while two were Pashtuns.

The gunmen also set fire to heavy machinery and other equipment at the construction site before escaping towards the surrounding hills.

Following the incident, police and Frontier Corps personnel cordoned off the area and launched a joint search operation to trace the abducted workers and arrest those involved in the attack.

The incident comes amid continuing security concerns in Balochistan, where armed groups have carried out attacks against civilians, security personnel and infrastructure.

According to data cited from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), militant attacks in Pakistan increased significantly in recent years. The monitoring organisation recorded 2,425 attacks in 2025, compared with 658 in 2022.