In a welcome turn of events, four of the six young footballers who were abducted in Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district on September 9 have been successfully recovered.
The safe rescue of the athletes was made possible through the concerted efforts of law enforcement agencies, the local administration, and the provincial government.
The six football players had been on their way to Sibi to participate in the Chief Minister Balochistan Gold Cup tournament when armed militants forcefully seized them in the Sangsila area of Dera Bugti district earlier this month.
The harrowing incident has served as a stark reminder of the volatile security situation in certain regions of Balochistan. A senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to a lack of media authorisation, had confirmed the abduction, triggering immediate concerns for the safety of the sportsmen.
In response to the kidnapping, security measures had been swiftly heightened in the affected area. Saleh Muhammad Nasar, the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of Balochistan, revealed that a comprehensive search operation had been launched to locate the missing footballers.
The gravity of the situation had prompted Caretaker Chief Minister Ali Mardan Domki to take immediate notice of the incident. In an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, it was disclosed that CM Domki had instructed the local administration to intensify their efforts to ensure the safe and unharmed return of the abducted football players. Furthermore, the chief minister has also called for the formation of a joint team, comprising Levies paramilitary forces and the police, to coordinate and expedite efforts aimed at locating and rescuing the remaining two abducted athletes.
Therefore, while four of the footballers have now been reunited with their families, the efforts to find the remaining two continue.
On Friday, 50 people were killed in a suicide attack on a Rabiul Awwal procession in the Mastung area of Balochistan. It was the deadliest attack this year and caused widespread panic across the province.
On Saturday, the death toll climbed to 60 as at least ten of the injured succumbed to their injuries.
Surge in terror attacks
In recent years, both the TTP, a conglomerate of several militant outfits, and the Khorasan offshoot of the ISIS/Daesh terror group have claimed responsibility for several attacks.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in August, 2021. Islamabad accuses Kabul of failing to take action against the TTP, which allegedly uses Afghan territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan.
Afghanistan, however, rebuffs the accusation.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2023.
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