Five suspected of abducting politician killed: police

QUETTA: The counterterrorism police said Sunday they killed five people involved in the abduction for ransom and subsequent death of a political party leader.

The raid took place overnight in Pishin, according to the Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department.

Malik Ubaidullah Kasi, leader of the Awami National Party, was abducted for ransom from his native Kuchlak town near Quetta in late June. His body was found Thursday near an Afghan refugee camp in the Pishin district.

A statement issued by the CTD said investigators arrested a man after Kasi’s body was found. The suspect subsequently led investigators to the hideout in Pishin.

Officers killed five men allegedly involved in Kasi’s abduction late Saturday night in a gun battle. Machine guns, hand grenades and hand guns were recovered from the abductors’ hideout, police said.

Kasi, a prominent political leader, was the first political figure abducted for ransom in the province.