Violence and Natural Disasters Claim 9 Lives Across Balochistan; Kidnapped Trader Recovered in Khuzdar

Quetta: A wave of violence, accidents, and natural disasters across multiple districts of Balochistan has left at least nine people dead, including two children, and 20 others injured, according to local reports. Meanwhile, authorities in Khuzdar successfully recovered a kidnapped trader, offering a rare positive development amid the unrest.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, severe weather conditions including heavy rains, thunderstorms, and lightning strikes caused multiple fatalities in areas such as Musakhel, Naseerabad, and Jaffarabad. Four people, including two children, lost their lives in weather-related incidents, while over 200 livestock perished after lightning strikes in rural regions.

In Dera Allah Yar, a young man died after a wall collapsed due to heavy rain, while eight people, including a woman, were injured when electricity poles fell near a local stadium. Lightning strikes in Tamboo and surrounding areas also killed siblings and a shepherd, while injuring others.

Law and order incidents further worsened the situation. In Quetta, a pushcart vendor was shot dead in what police described as a personal dispute. In Turbat’s Tump area, armed men stopped a passenger bus and killed a man in front of his wife, who was also injured. Similar incidents of targeted killings, tribal clashes, and armed robberies were reported in Usta Muhammad, Dera Murad Jamali, Sohbatpur, and Dalbandin, leaving several people dead and injured.

In Khuzdar, however, police achieved a significant breakthrough. A Hindu trader, kidnapped on April 1 for a ransom of Rs15 million, was safely recovered after 26 days during a targeted operation. Three suspects were arrested in the operation, and the victim was reunited with his family. Members of the Hindu community expressed gratitude to the police for their efforts.

Separately, in the coastal area of Kund Malir in Lasbela, local fishermen were attacked by alleged illegal trawler operators from Sindh and Karachi. Two fishermen were seriously injured in stone-pelting incidents. The متاثرہ fishermen accused corrupt officials of allowing illegal trawlers to operate freely, threatening their livelihoods.

Police have registered cases in all relevant jurisdictions and initiated investigations into the incidents.