- Police say victims were abducted from Kalatak area on July 28.
- Four victims belong to Punjab, two hail from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Labourers were working on development projects: security sources.
TURBAT: The bodies of six labourers belonging to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), who were kidnapped by armed men two days ago, were recovered from a remote area of Nasirabad in Balochistan, police said on Thursday.
According to the police, four of the victims were residents of Punjab, while two belonged to KP. They said the labourers were abducted from the Kalatak area on July 28.
Their bodies were shifted to Quetta and will later be transported to their native towns for burial, the police added.
Security sources said the labourers were martyred by militants affiliated with Fitna al-Hindustan in Kech district.
They added that the attackers had earlier killed another labourer, identified as Javed, on July 27 before abducting six others.
According to security sources, all of the victims were engaged in development projects in Balochistan.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the killing of six labourers in Balochistan’s Kech district by Fitna al-Hindustan militants.
Expressing his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, the minister said the attackers had displayed “extreme brutality” by targeting innocent labourers.
Naqvi said the killing of the workers not only claimed innocent lives but also constituted an attack on Balochistan’s development and the livelihoods of its people.
The interior minister said those responsible for the “ruthless murder” of six non-local labourers did not deserve any leniency.
He added that the government stood in solidarity with the families of the victims and shared their grief during this difficult time.
Pakistan witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its KP and Balochistan provinces, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban came into power.
According to a report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the two provinces remained the country’s main hotspots for violence during the second quarter of 2026, with KP emerging as the worst-affected region.
The report stated that KP and Balochistan together accounted for nearly 96% of all violence-related fatalities recorded during the quarter. Of the total deaths, more than 61% (475) were reported in KP, while Balochistan accounted for 34% (265).
KP also recorded the highest number of violent incidents, with 151 cases, representing 57% of the nationwide total. Balochistan followed with 94 incidents, or 35%, underscoring the concentration of militant activity in the two provinces.
