Abducted Kharan DC freed in Quetta after tribal elders intervene

QUETTA: Kharan Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Soomro was released on Friday after being held captive for nearly two weeks, following negotiations between tribal elders and the abductors, officials said. Mr Soomro was seized on September 20 while traveling on the Noshki-Kharan highway when armed men intercepted his private car in the Lajah area of Kharan district, taking him along with his driver and personal security guard.

A senior official of the Provincial Home Department confirmed to Dawn that the Kharan DC has been released safely, and a family member also confirmed the news. The captors had released the driver and security guard three days after the kidnapping. Security forces, comprising local police and the Frontier Corps, conducted a wide-ranging search operation in the region following the incident.

Authorities reached out to local tribal elders to establish communication with the kidnappers, and negotiations between these elders and the armed men led to Soomro's eventual release. Babar Yousafzai, an aide to the Balochistan Home Department, praised the safe return of the official, emphasizing that the protection of civil servants and the public remains a top priority.

Yousafzai reiterated the government's commitment to restoring peace across Balochistan and reiterated that authorities will continue to take all necessary measures to maintain law and order and protect citizens' lives and property.