QUETTA: A separatist militant group in southwestern Pakistan on Sunday claimed an attack on a prison van in which five police officers were taken hostage.
Between 30 and 40 gunmen blocked a major highway that cuts across Balochistan province overnight on Friday, intercepting a prison van being transported by a police team, a police official said.
“The prisoners were released later but five policemen have been kidnapped,” a senior police official in the area, who was not authorized to speak to the media, told AFP on Sunday.
He said a rescue operation was underway.
The gunmen also set fire to government buildings and a bank in the area.
A senior government official, who asked not to be named, said that two gunmen were killed by security forces.
Pakistan has been battling a separatist insurgency in Balochistan for decades, where militants target state forces, foreign nationals, and non-locals in the mineral-rich southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most active group in the region, claimed the assault in Kalat district.
The BLA has previously targeted energy projects receiving foreign financing — most notably from China.
In March, the group seized a train, taking hundreds of passengers hostage and killing off-duty security forces in a three-day seige.
Gunmen kidnap five policemen in southwestern Pakistan
https://arab.news/2v4mw
Gunmen kidnap five policemen in southwestern Pakistan
- Up to 40 gunmen blocked a major highway, intercepting a prison van being transported by a police team
- A senior government official, who asked not to be named, said that two gunmen were killed by security forces
FIFA president says will visit Pakistan ‘soon,’ vows to promote football in country
- FIFA President Gianni Infantino describes Pakistan as a “great football country” on sidelines of World Economic Forum summit
ISLAMABAD: FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Thursday he would visit Pakistan “soon,” vowing to promote the development of football in the South Asian country.
Infantino was speaking to Pakistan TV Digital on the sidelines of the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos.
“Well, I will come to Pakistan actually very soon,” Infantino said. “I promised the prime minister [Shehbaz Sharif]. Because we have now a new president of the [Pakistan Football] Federation who is doing a fantastic job.”
The FIFA official described Pakistan as a “great football country.”
“We need to bring Pakistan to the head, to the top of Asia for sure,” Infantino said. “Thank you, we are working on that.”
Pakistan’s relationship with FIFA has grown and evolved over the years. Last month, FIFA appointed Pakistani lawmaker Syeda Amnah Batool to its Institutional Reforms Committee.
FIFA Senior Vice President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa visited Pakistan in November 2025. During the three-day visit, he discussed the development of football infrastructure with Pakistani football executives and government officials.
Football has long been popular among Pakistan’s youth but in recent years participation has grown at the grassroots level amid rising interest in international leagues.
Local tournaments, school competitions, and community clubs across major cities have further fueled enthusiasm for the sport.
Like other sports, however, it continues to exist in the shadow of cricket. Since decades, cricket continues to remain the most popular and lucrative sport in Pakistan.
