Pakistan’s deteriorating security situation in Balochistan has come under renewed scrutiny after the Vice Chancellor of Gwadar University, Prof Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir, along with Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Syed Manzoor Ahmed, lecturer Dr Irshad Ahmed and several staff members, were abducted while travelling through Mastung district.

According to reports, the university officials were kidnapped nearly five days ago while travelling from Gwadar to Quetta on a highway long considered vulnerable to militant activity and armed attacks. The group was reportedly intercepted by unidentified gunmen in the Mastung area, one of Balochistan’s most volatile districts.

The incident has triggered alarm across Pakistan’s academic community, with educators and civil society groups questioning how senior university officials could be abducted from a major highway despite heavy security claims by authorities.

Mastung district has repeatedly witnessed militant violence, sectarian attacks and kidnappings over the past several years. The region remains a hotspot for insurgent activity, with security forces frequently conducting operations against separatist and extremist groups operating in Balochistan.

Critics argue the kidnapping exposes the Pakistani state’s inability to secure even major transport routes connecting key cities in the province. The Quetta-Gwadar corridor is strategically important due to its role in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, yet attacks and abductions continue to plague the region.

The abduction of senior education officials has also intensified fears over the shrinking space for academic activity in conflict-hit parts of Pakistan. Teachers and university staff working in Balochistan have repeatedly expressed concerns over insecurity, threats and lack of state protection.

Families of the kidnapped officials reportedly appealed to authorities for urgent action, while local academic organisations demanded immediate and safe recovery of the abductees. Students and faculty members also expressed anger over what they described as repeated governance and intelligence failures in the province.

Analysts say the incident once again highlights the fragile security environment in Balochistan, where enforced disappearances, insurgency, targeted killings and militant attacks continue despite years of military operations and political promises of stability.

The kidnapping comes at a time when Pakistan is already facing growing criticism over worsening law and order, especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Observers warn that repeated incidents involving professionals, educators and civilians risk deepening public distrust in state institutions and further damaging the province’s already fragile educational infrastructure.

Authorities have launched search operations in parts of Mastung and surrounding districts, though no group has officially claimed responsibility for the abduction so far.

Disclaimer : This image is taken from NDTV.