Unidentified armed men reportedly stopped a passenger bus near Ramak in Dera Ismail Khan after midnight and took away seven to eight passengers, according to sources.
Citing local reports, sources said the Hassan Coach bus was travelling from Taunsa Sharif towards Rawalpindi when gunmen intercepted it on the Indus Highway within the limits of Parowa police station.
The attackers allegedly drove the bus to an isolated spot, checked passengers' identity cards and took several people with them. Those reportedly abducted include a police employee from Taunsa Sharif and workers linked to Chashma Sugar Mills-II.
The remaining passengers were let go, and the bus continued its journey towards Islamabad.
The identities and whereabouts of the missing passengers remain unclear, and no group has claimed responsibility. Sources said independent verification is still pending, and there was no immediate official statement from police or the district administration.
Highway checkpoints set up by armed men to stop travellers and government employees have been reported repeatedly in Dera Ismail Khan and neighbouring districts in recent months.
On Wednesday afternoon, sources reported that six of the abducted passengers had been recovered and later sent to Taunsa. They were named as Kashif, Hammad, Arsalan, Shiraz, Majid and Irshad Bhutta.
It remains unclear whether any other passengers are still missing. The circumstances of the recovery and the identity of those behind the abduction have not been established, and independent verification is pending.