Ziarat’s Deputy Commissioner, Zakaullah Durani, confirmed to CNN that unidentified armed men abducted Assistant Commissioner Ziarat, Afzal Baqi, along with his son from the Zarzari area of the district on Sunday afternoon. The assailants released other family members and security guards who were accompanying them.
According to Durani, the Assistant Commissioner was visiting a picnic spot with his family when the incident took place. The abductors also set the official’s vehicle on fire before fleeing.
Levies and police personnel, along with Frontier Corps units, have launched a joint search operation in the area, setting up check-posts and sealing exit routes. Authorities believe the abductors may have fled toward the mountainous border regions.
Zarzari and adjoining areas have seen sporadic incidents of abductions in recent years, often targeting government officials. Earlier this year, armed men abducted Assistant Commissioner Hanif Noorzai from the Tump tehsil of Kech district in Balochistan; he remains missing.
