QUETTA: A senior Levies officer was martyred during an armed attack on a checkpost in Qila Abdullah on Wednesday.

The Qila Abdullah deputy commissioner said the attackers were involved in robberies on the Quetta-Chaman highway and other serious crimes. When the Levies foiled an attempt to hijack a passenger van, the criminals opened fire on the check post, resulting in the martyrdom of post in-charge Dafadar Saadullah.

“After the attack, the culprits fled, abandoning one of their vehicles, which was later set on fire by local residents,” the deputy commissioner said, adding that an operation has been launched against the group.

A senior police officer said the criminals’ hideout in the nearby mountains has been cordoned off, and security forces have begun a search operation to arrest their ringleader, Faqir Muhammad, dead or alive.

He said Faqir Muhammad is wanted by Levies and police in around 15 murder cases. Frontier Corps personnel have also been called in to assist in the operation.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2025