QUETTA: A gang of armed men hijacked a bus from the Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan national highway near the Saliaza area of Sherani district, Balochistan, late on Sunday night.

The passenger coach was on its way to Islamabad from Quetta.

Levies Force officials confirming the hijacking of the coach said that the armed men took away the vehicle while the passengers were having their dinner at a roadside eatery.

“A group of armed men suddenly appeared on the scene, took control of the coach and took it away,” a Levies Force official said, adding that armed men also took the luggage of the passengers with them.

Assistant Commissioner of Sherani Sheikh Asmatullah said that security forces had launched a search operation in the area to recover the coach. He said the cause of the hijacking was a monetary dispute between two transporters’ groups.

Three months ago a coach of one group was set on fire by the other group.

Meanwhile, vehicular traffic was suspended between Zhob and Loralai/Makhtar as the people blocked the highway linking Balochistan with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Hundreds of trucks carrying fresh fruits and vegetables to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were stranded at different places.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2021