QUETTA – The bodies of four abducted men, including an Airport Security Force (ASF) inspector, a former Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) official, a retired army havildar, and a serving police constable, have been recovered from the rugged mountains of Shaban in Harnai district near Quetta as a security crisis grips Balochistan.
The bodies were discovered on Wednesday during an ongoing security forces operation in the Shaban area, which borders Hanna Urak. Authorities said the victims had been dead for several days and had all been shot.
The deceased were identified as ASF Inspector Zubair Ahmed Shahwani, former CTD official Syed Khalil-ur-Rehman, retired Army Havildar Muhammad Sadiq Panizai, and Ziarat Police Constable Fareedullah Kakar.
The bodies of four individuals abducted from the Mangi Dam have been recovered from the Shaban Valley and transported to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
According to reports, these individuals were abducted by unidentified armed men several weeks ago from different… pic.twitter.com/s8a9sNYtsR
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Police said Inspector Shahwani, a resident of Jinnah Town, Quetta, had travelled home from his posting at Islamabad Airport on one month’s leave. According to the kidnapping complaint filed by his father on June 24, Shahwani left his home on June 21 with his friend, Syed Khalil-ur-Rehman, and never returned. Investigators believe the two were abducted that day and taken to the remote mountainous region where they were later killed.
Authorities said Constable Fareedullah Kakar, who was serving at Mangi Police Station, was allegedly abducted while travelling home. Retired Havildar Muhammad Sadiq Panizai, also from Ziarat, was reportedly kidnapped in a separate incident before meeting the same fate.
The discovery comes amid an escalating wave of violence in the mountainous districts of Ziarat and Harnai, where families of slain police personnel continue to stage protests demanding justice and stronger security measures. For the past eight days, relatives of seven police officers have refused to bury their loved ones, maintaining a sit-in with the bodies in a dramatic appeal for government action.
The latest killings follow one of the deadliest recent attacks in the region, in which militants targeted police personnel assigned to the Mangi Dam Phase III project in Ziarat’s Kach area. Officials said 30 police officers were killed, with nine dying at the scene and 21 others allegedly kidnapped before being executed, sparking widespread outrage and protests.
Earlier, militants also attacked a village in the Hanna Urak area near Quetta, killing five civilians, wounding seven others, and abducting 11 people, who were later recovered. That incident triggered a five-day protest in Quetta by victims’ families and political groups.
Security forces have launched a large-scale operation across the affected mountainous areas. Officials claim the offensive, backed by drones, helicopters, and other advanced military equipment, has resulted in the deaths of more than 100 militants, as efforts continue to dismantle armed networks operating in the region.
Operation Shahban against terrorists intensified in Balochistan as toll surges to 126
