A 10-year-old boy abducted at gunpoint from a school van in Quetta a week ago remains missing, police said on Thursday, as protests over the kidnapping continue to grow.

Muhammad Musawir Kakar, a third-grade student, was taken by three armed men on November 15 in the Patel Bagh area of the city, authorities said. His father, Raz Muhammad Kakar, is a gold trader with a shop in Quetta’s Liaquat Bazar.

The child’s family denies having any tribal enmity or business disputes that might explain the abduction. “We are simple businessmen,” Haji Malung Kakar, the boy’s uncle, told PPI. “We believe this is a case of kidnapping for ransom, though no demands have been made yet.”

The incident has triggered outrage among Quetta’s business community and civil society, who have joined the family in a sit-in protest outside the provincial assembly at Serena Chowk. Protesters, including representatives of trade associations, have called on authorities to ensure the child’s swift recovery.

“No one is safe in Quetta anymore,” said Muhammad Rahim Kakar, president of Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajiran Balochistan, a leading business group. “Kidnappings, thefts, and robberies are rampant, and many traders are considering relocating to other provinces due to the lack of security.”

Protest organizers have announced a province-wide wheel-jam strike on November 23 to press authorities into taking action.

Police said an investigation is underway, but no suspects have been identified, and no ransom demands have been reported.

Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, has long grappled with law and order issues, with cases of abductions and other crimes adding to the challenges faced by local residents and businesses.