QUETTA: Balochistan Secretary for Higher Edu­cation Abdullah Jan was kidnapped by three armed men on Brewery Road on Wednesday.

Police sources said that Mr Jan was going to office by official car from his residence in Wahdat Colony when he was kidnapped.

Deputy Inspector Gene­ral Abdul Razzak Cheema confirmed the incident and said that all entry and exit points of Quetta had been sealed immediately to check suspected vehicles.

“No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping or approached Mr Jan’s family for ransom so far,” police sources said.

They said that the secretary left his residence with his driver in the morning. Quoting witnesses, they said that when Mr Jan’s car reached Brewery Road, three armed men apparently waiting for him intercepted his car and took him away in another car along with the driver.

However, the kidnappers left the driver on Sabzal Road and drove off to an unknown destination.

On his return, the driver told Mr Jan’s family about the kidnapping. The family informed police who recorded statements of the driver and witnesses and launched an investigation.

With the help of witnesses, police experts prepared the sketch one of the kidnappers and released it to the media, asking people to inform them about whereabouts of the suspect if they had any information about him.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri has taken notice of the incident and asked the inspector general of the province to submit a report on it immediately. “Different teams comprising officials of police, the Counter Terrorism Department, the Crime Investigation Agency and other agencies have been formed to investigate into the incident,” a senior police official said. “We are investigating from different angles, including kidnapping for ransom, tribal feud and official affairs.”

He expressed the opinion that the kidnappers might not have succeeded in taking Mr Jan out of Quetta as all entry and exit points of the city were blocked soon after the incident. Meanwhile, officials and other employees of the Balochistan secretariat have expressed concern on the kidnapping incident. They stopped working in offices and gathered at the lawns of the secretariat.

Later speaking at a press conference, Saleh Mohammad Nasar, president of the Balochistan Civil Secretariat Officers Welfare Association, and Amir Hamza Muhammadshahi, chief of the Balochistan Secretariat Employees Association, called upon the government to ensure safe recovery of Mr Jan.

They warned that the secretariat employees would go on strike if Mr Jan was not recovered and his kidnappers were not arrested within 24 hours.

Earlier, two senior government officers had been kidnapped in the city and later released after paying a huge ransom.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2017