Quetta: Unidentified armed men abducted nine labourers from separate construction sites in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan over the past 24 hours, officials said on Sunday, highlighting ongoing security concerns in the province.

The abducted workers were from Sindh and were employed at private construction projects in Barkhan and Khuzdar districts.

Six workers taken from the Khuzdar construction camp

According to officials, armed men stormed a construction camp in the remote Moola area of Khuzdar on Saturday night. After identifying the labourers, the attackers forced six of them into a double-cabin vehicle and fled the site.

Muhammad Siraj from the deputy commissioner’s office in Khuzdar confirmed the incident. The construction site, where work on a water canal project is underway, is located around 50 kilometres from the district headquarters.

Three more abducted in Barkhan district

In a separate incident on Sunday morning, gunmen entered another construction site in the Dhola Nadi area of Barkhan district and abducted three additional labourers.

Authorities have not yet released details about the identity of the attackers or any group claiming responsibility.

Also Read| Pakistan says it has killed 145 'Indian-backed terrorists' in Balochistan after deadly attacks

Rising attacks on workers in Balochistan

Abductions and targeted killings of workers from other provinces employed on development projects in Balochistan have become increasingly frequent. The province has witnessed repeated attacks on non-local labourers amid long-running insurgency and security challenges.

Earlier this month, five workers were killed at a construction site in the Noshki area. In a major incident last year, 18 workers were abducted from a road project in Khuzdar and released several months later.

The latest kidnappings have renewed concerns about the safety of labourers involved in infrastructure and development projects across Balochistan.

PTI