QUETTA: Ten kidnapped labourers and a manager of a construction company working on a World Bank-funded water channel project have been recovered, police said on Tuesday.

The labourers and the company manger were abducted by a group of armed men on Oct 22, 2025, at gunpoint from Mola tehsil of Khuzdar district while they were working on the water channel project initiated with financial assistance from the World Bank.

Around two dozen armed, after cordoning off the construction company’s camp, took 10 labourers and the manager away at gunpoint.

A banned organisation had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Six of the 10 labourers belonged to Sindh, while the others were locals. The administration and police made efforts for their release with the coordination of tribal elders. “All 11 employees of the company recovered last night after remaining in captivity of the kidnappers for almost four-and-a-half months,” a senior police officer said.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2026