Balochistan university officials abducted; teachers schedule province-wide protests

In mid‑May 2026, four staff members of the University of Gwadar – Vice Chancellor Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir, Pro‑Vice Chancellor Dr Syed Manzoor Ahmed, lecturer Dr Muhammad Irshad and driver Muhammad Hatim – were seized by armed men on the N‑25 Quetta‑Karachi highway near Mastung, Balochistan. The kidnappers have not claimed responsibility, but provincial officials suspect Baloch separatist militants and have accused India‑backed groups. Security forces launched searches, while students at the Gwadar campus staged a rally demanding the officials’ safe return.

Academic staff associations in Balochistan responded by announcing protest rallies in universities across the province, urging the government to secure highways and protect teachers after a pattern of abductions and killings of academics. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also voiced alarm over the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan and neighboring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, linking the kidnapping to broader threats against civilians and educators.