Key Points
- The attack occurred in the Nana Sahib Ziarat area of Balochistan.
- Security forces launched a search operation after the attack.
- Authorities remain focused on protecting development projects across Balochistan.
QUETTA, Pakistan: A security guard was killed and another seriously injured when terrorists attacked a construction company’s camp in Duki district of Balochistan, abducting 18 workers engaged in the construction of the Duki-Chamalang road, security officials said on Saturday.
The attack took place at around 10:35 pm at a camp of Sultan Mahmood Company in the Nana Sahib Ziarat area of Duki, according to the officials.
The attackers opened fire on the camp, prompting a gun battle with police personnel and local security guards deployed there. One guard was killed while another sustained serious injuries during the exchange of fire.
Security officials said the attackers subsequently took 18 workers staying at the camp and fled the area. Security forces and law-enforcement personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to trace the abducted workers and locate the attackers.
Development project targeted
The workers were reportedly employed on the Duki-Chamalang road project, a major connectivity initiative intended to improve road access in the mineral-rich Duki-Chamalang region.
The federal government has previously approved about Rs13.99 billion Duki-Chamalang road project, spanning 105 kilometres. The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council along with a 103-kilometre Zhob-Mukhtar Barsta-Murgha Kabza road.
The targeting of a construction camp therefore comes as security officials continue to confront attacks against personnel and workers associated with infrastructure projects in Balochistan.
Pattern of attacks
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on labourers and development-related infrastructure in the province this year.
In July, five labourers were killed in a terrorist attack in Mashkil, Washuk district, while security forces subsequently launched a search operation. Later on July 30, six abducted non-local labourers working on development projects in Kech were killed.
On September 20, as many as 10 labourers were injured when terrorists targeted their passenger vehicle with an improvised explosive device on Lajjay Road in Kharan.
There have also been attacks specifically affecting road construction activity in Duki.
A July 1 attack targeted road construction machinery near Duki, with two road rollers reportedly destroyed. The affected company was working on the Duki-Chamalang road project.
In November 2024, armed men had also attacked a construction-company camp involved in the Duki-Chamalang road project, kidnapping three labourers and setting construction machinery and equipment on fire.
State’s development push
The federal and provincial governments have repeatedly linked improved connectivity with Balochistan’s economic development, arguing that roads are essential for trade, access to services and integration of remote districts.
The Balochistan government allocated Rs47 billion to its Communications and Works Department in the 2026-27 provincial budget, including Rs27 billion for development projects. The budget documents identified road construction and improved connectivity as key development priorities.
The federal government has also allocated Rs200 billion for road infrastructure in Balochistan in the current development programme, according to the Planning Ministry.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly stressed that peace and development in Balochistan are closely linked. During a July 2026 visit to Quetta, he said efforts to stall the province’s development would not be allowed to succeed and reaffirmed the state’s resolve against terrorism.
Following the attack, security personnel have begun a search operation in the surrounding area to trace the abducted workers and identify the attackers.
The incident also comes against the backdrop of continuing counterterrorism operations in Balochistan.
