Rescue Mission Underway to Find Kidnapped Football Players in Balochistan

At least six footballers in Pakistan were kidnapped by some unidentified people on Saturday (September 9) in the southwestern province of Balochistan. 

Local officials said that the players were on their way to Sibi from Dera Bugti district when they were abducted. The officials have identified five of the six players as Aamir Bugti, Faisal Bugti, Sohail Bugti, Yasar Bugti and Sheraz Bugti. 

As quoted by DAWN newspaper, Dera Bugti's deputy commissioner said: "The players were residents of Dera Bugti and Sui. They were going to Sibi to take part in the qualifying round of the All Pakistan Chief Minister Gold Cup football tournament." 

Meanwhile, Jan Achakzai, who is the interim provincial information minister, told Al Jazeera: "All efforts are being utilised to recover the abducted sportsmen and law enforcement officials have already launched a search operation in the area and we are expecting a major breakthrough in the next 24 hours." 

Responding to the current situation, the caretaker interior minister Sarfraz Bugti said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that paramilitary forces have been deployed to conduct an operation to find the players. 

He wrote: "FC Balochistan (North) is tirelessly striving to bring back the abducted football players from #DeraBugti. Your prayers are needed. Hoping for safe recovery. InshAllah." 

In a statement late Sunday, Sarfraz Bugti said "the entire area has been cordoned off" and "all available resources are being utilised for the recovery of the hostages". 

He alleged that the abductors belonged to the Baloch Republican Army, a militant group fighting for greater autonomy of Balochistan.

"This is a very serious thing that our six kids are in the custody of terrorists," he said.

According to the official sources cited by DAWN, armed men intercepted the vehicles in which the players were travelling and took the footballers away at gunpoint. 

Mir Zubair Ahmed Jamali, who is the caretaker home minister of Balochistan, said the security forces were sent to the area to launch a search and recover the footballers. 

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the abductions, but such incidents have been happening for quite some time in Balochistan as the region has been a hotbed of an armed struggle led by nationalist separatists. 

As reported by Al Jazeera, families of the players have said that the players were part of a group of 16 to 18 footballers who left on Saturday morning to travel to the town of Sibbi. 

"Our family is profoundly shaken," Zakir Hussain, father of 20-year-old player Aamir Hussain, told AFP.

"We have not received any communication from him since he was kidnapped and the abductors have not made contact with us. While he is an exceptional footballer, he is also innocent. Playing football is not a crime," he added._WION