QUETTA: Eight employees of a US-based NGO, the American Refugee Committee (ARC), were kidnapped by some armed men from Pishin area, some 50km north of the provincial capital.

“Eight workers of ARC are missing since last evening while going to Quetta,” Pishin Deputy Commissioner Mansoor Kakar said on Tuesday, adding that they were travelling between Surkhab refugee camp and Pishin when the incident took place. He said that all kidnapped men were Pakistanis.

“No foreigner was among the kidnapped ARC aid workers,” he said.

Sources said the aid workers went to Surkhab to distribute food items under the Ramazan package and they were coming back to Quetta after completing their job, but did not reach their destination till late night.

“Aid workers of ARC were intercepted by armed men somewhere between Surkhab and Pishin and took them to an unknown destination,” official sources said, adding that the local administration had launched a search operation with the help of police and Levies Force personnel for the recovery of abducted employees. Several suspected places were raided over the past 24 hours, but no trace was found so far.

“We are working on all aspects, including involvement of Afghan refugees and religious extremist groups,” a senior official of Pishin police said.

Those kidnapped were identified as Nasibullah, Imran, Khalil, Izzatullah, Sabir, Mujibur Rehman, Nasarullah and Mohammad Saeed.

A Swiss couple travelling between Rakhani and Loralai was kidnapped by unknown armed men on July 1, but authorities concerned have failed to trace the couple despite passage of over two weeks. No one has claimed responsibility for their abduction so far.