John Solecki, the head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office in Balochistan province, was on his way to office when gunmen raked his car with gun fire killing his driver and forcing him out of his car, shortly after he had left his home, Quetta police chief Humayun Jogezai said.

Solecki's driver Syed Hashim Raza was hit by bullets and died in hospital. The attackers took Solecki with them at gunpoint. His Land Cruiser was found rammed into the wall of a house.

No group claimed responsibility for the abduction, which the Pakistani Foreign Office described as ‘dastardly and terrorist act’.

Several foreigners, including senior diplomats, have been kidnapped over the recent months from Balochistan and neighbouring NWFP. These include the Afghan Ambassador- designate to Islamabad and a senior Iranian diplomat and both are yet to be traced.

Solecki's kidnapping came just months after an abortive attempt by suspected Taliban militia to abduct a senior US Embassy official from Peshawar.

Quetta is the capital of Balochistan which borders Afghanistan where al-Qaeda and Taliban are reported to have safe havens. The dusty city is also believed to be the hideout of reclusive Taliban chief Mullah Omar, who has not been sighted for months.

The city has also been recently rocked by violence from the indigenous tribals who are fighting for greater autonomy and more rights for the local people on the gas and mineral strikes in the troubled province.

However, these tribal fighters are not known to target foreigners.

Authorities shut down all exit routes from the city and police in the border town of Chaman were checking vehicle to prevent kidnappers from whisking the diplomat into Afghanistan.

UN Spokesman in Islamabad confirmed that whereabouts of one of its foreign nationals was not known. While US embassy sources said they were looking into the reports.

Jogezai said Solecki had been working in Balochistan for years and helping Afghans who had fled violence in the country and did not use a police escort.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condemned Solecki's kidnapping and said the government "is taking all necessary measures for the safe and early recovery" of the UN official.

The UN expressed its "extreme shock and dismay" at the death of Raza and the abduction of Solecki. "We strongly condemn this attack on humanitarian workers in Pakistan who have been doing their utmost to deliver their humanitarian mission," said a statement issued by the UN.

"The United Nations is now taking all possible measures to secure (Solecki's) release," the statement said.

Senior officials rushed to the site of the attack and police cordoned off the area and launched a search for the UN official. Security at offices of UN organisations and foreign NGOs, which is already very high, was beefed up further after the incident.