Minister’s young son kidnapped in Pishin

Police say armed men intercepted Asad as he was driving home from his college and took him to an unknown location

QUETTA: Gunmen kidnapped the son of a provincial minister of Balochistan, police officials and the minister’s family said on Saturday.

Asad Tareen, the son of Balochistan Local Government Minister Sardar Mustafa Tareen, was seized near Cadet College Pishin on Friday, family members confirmed as police found his car and cellphone in the military school’s vicinity.



“Armed men intercepted Asad as he was driving home from his college and forcibly took him to some unknown location,” DPO Hai Baloch told reporters. Police and security forces have already mounted a search operation in Pishin and its adjacent areas to hunt down the kidnappers.

“We have detained several suspects we think are linked to Asad’s kidnapping. The hunt for his abductors is under way,” DPO Baloch added. Other police officials said contingents of police, Frontier Corps and Levies have been deployed to all entry and exit points of Pishin.

Taking notice of the kidnapping, Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri ordered the provincial police chief to intensify efforts to safely recover Asad. In line with the chief minister’s directive, IG Ahsan Mehboob constituted two teams to look into the matter.



According to sources, these teams were involved in raids in Pishin, Killa Abdullah and adjoining areas which led to the arrests of several suspects.

Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, IGFC Maj-Gen Sher Afgun and other senior officials also reached Pishin to monitor the situation after the high-profile kidnapping.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2016.