Missing Gwadar University Leaders Return Home Safely
The vice chancellor and pro-vice chancellor of the University of Gwadar returned home on Sunday night, nearly 10 days after they were reported missing while travelling from Gwadar to Quetta. The development brought relief to their families, university colleagues and officials who had been waiting for confirmation of their whereabouts since the group disappeared on May 13.
According to information reported from Quetta, University of Gwadar Vice Chancellor Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir and Pro-Vice Chancellor Syed Manzoor Ahmed were among four people who safely reached home. The others included the vice chancellor’s staff officer, Irshad Ahmed, and the driver accompanying them, Hatim Ali.
Balochistan Home Department aide Babar Yousafzai confirmed that all four individuals had returned safely to their homes. A relative of Pro-Vice Chancellor Syed Manzoor Ahmed also confirmed the development, ending days of uncertainty around the university officials’ disappearance.
Police sources in Mastung said the four men were freed in the Kardgap area of Mastung. Officials had earlier indicated that the group could have been kidnapped after their mobile phones were switched off and they could not be contacted during their journey from Gwadar toward the provincial capital.
The case had drawn attention because it involved senior administrators of a public university in Balochistan, a province where long road journeys between districts often pass through remote and security-sensitive areas. Their disappearance raised concern not only for the families involved but also for the education community, which depends on administrative stability and safe mobility for senior academic officials.
After the group went missing, security forces launched an intelligence-based search operation and raided suspected locations in an effort to trace and recover them. The operation reflected the urgency attached to the matter, especially as days passed without public confirmation of their condition or location.
The University of Gwadar is an important higher education institution for the coastal region, where access to advanced academic facilities remains a major development priority. The safe return of its senior leadership is therefore significant for institutional continuity, student confidence and the broader education environment in the area.
The incident also highlights continuing concerns about travel security, emergency response and communication gaps on routes linking Gwadar, Mastung and Quetta. In regions where distances are long and terrain is difficult, even a temporary disappearance of senior officials can create widespread anxiety and disrupt official work.
Authorities are expected to examine the circumstances in which the university officials went missing and how they were later recovered. Further official details may clarify whether any arrests were made, what role the search operation played and what additional measures will be taken to prevent similar incidents involving education-sector officials and public servants in Balochistan.