Safety forces efficiently freed 104 hostages and eradicated at the least 14 terrorists who hijacked the Jaffar Specific in Balochistan’s Bolan district, pledging to proceed the operation till the final militant is defeated.
The prepare, carrying over 400 passengers in 9 bogies, was en route from Quetta to Peshawar on Tuesday when an unknown variety of terrorists took passengers hostage, safety forces stated.
Safety sources stated that forces had been persevering with the operation to rescue the remaining hostages.
Earlier, railway officers reported that 57 rescued passengers from the Jaffar Specific had been transported to Quetta within the early hours of Wednesday, whereas 23 remained in Machh.
After safety forces launched the operation on Tuesday, the militants cut up into small teams, safety sources stated. Seventeen injured passengers had been taken to a close-by hospital for pressing medical remedy.
Navigating the troublesome terrain, safety forces cordoned off the realm upon receiving phrase of the assault, they stated, including that regardless of the difficult route, forces reached the scene within the Mushqaf space of the Bolan district of Balochistan to provoke the operation.
Sources additional revealed that the attackers had been utilizing satellite tv for pc telephones to speak with worldwide handlers, together with a mastermind in Afghanistan, and had been utilizing ladies and kids as human shields, forcing excessive warning within the operation.
The attackers bombed the railway observe earlier than storming the prepare and opened hearth on the locomotive, injuring the motive force. The prepare, stopped simply earlier than a tunnel, was hijacked in a distant, mountainous area close to the Afghanistan-Iran border.
Emergency measures
The Balochistan authorities has imposed emergency measures, and all establishments have been mobilised to cope with the scenario, spokesperson Shahid Rind stated.
A reduction prepare and contingents of safety forces had been additionally dispatched to the location.
In the meantime, an emergency has been imposed in Sibi and Civil Hospital Quetta.
In response to the provincial well being division, all medical and paramedical workers have been summoned to Civil Hospital and a number of other wards had been vacated to cope with the scenario.
Following the incident, an emergency data desk has been established at Quetta Railway Station.
A railway official was appointed to share related developments relating to the Jaffar Specific incident.
Condemnations pour in
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have strongly condemned the terrorist assault on the Jaffar Specific and praised the safety forces for his or her efficient and well timed response.
The president lauded the valour of safety forces for rescuing the passengers of Jaffar Specific and stated that assaults on harmless civilians and passengers had been inhuman and condemnable acts.
The Baloch nation strongly opposed these components who had taken unarmed passengers, elders and kids as hostage, he added.
President Zardari stated neither any faith nor a society allowed such repugnant acts. He additionally prayed for the early restoration of those that sustained accidents in the course of the assault.
In the meantime, the prime minister stated that officers and personnel of the forces had been eliminating terrorists with bravery in the course of the ongoing response.
He added that regardless of troublesome terrain, the morale of the safety forces was excessive, they usually had been pushing again the cowardly terrorists with their well timed motion.
PM Shehbaz expressed the hope that the safety operation would quickly meet with success and the terrorists could be eradicated, PM Workplace Media Wing stated in a press launch.
He stated that the inhuman terrorists who launched the cowardly assault at Jaffar Specific at Dhdhar-Bolan Cross didn’t deserve any concession. Terrorists had been the enemies of progress and improvement of Balochistan province.
The premier stated concentrating on of harmless passengers within the holy and blessed month of Ramadan proved it clearly that terrorists had no relation with Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan.
He additionally expressed the resolve of continuation of battle towards terrorism until full eradication of this specter from the nation.
Any conspiracy to unfold chaos and lawlessness within the nation could be foiled, he stated, including that they might by no means enable enemies of the nation to reach their nefarious designs.
Inside Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the assault and prayed for the early restoration of the injured folks. He added: “Beasts who opened hearth on harmless passengers deserve no leniency.”
“Terrorists are the largest menace to Pakistan,” stated Pakistan Peoples Get together (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari whereas condemning the assault on the passenger prepare.
“Concentrating on harmless residents by terrorists is a coward act,” he added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur additionally condemned the Jaffar Specific incident and expressed concern for the protection of the prepare passengers taken hostage in Balochistan. He expressed needs for his or her protected restoration.
Awami Nationwide Get together (ANP) President Aimal Wali Khan stated that assaults on harmless residents are unacceptable and demanded strict motion towards the terrorists.
The nation witnessed a pointy improve in terror assaults in January 2025, surging by 42% in comparison with the earlier month, in accordance with knowledge launched by the Pakistan Institute for Battle and Safety Research (PICSS), a assume tank.
The info revealed that at the least 74 militant assaults had been recorded nationwide, leading to 91 fatalities, together with 35 safety personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. One other 117 people sustained accidents, together with 53 safety forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.
Balochistan additionally skilled a surge in militant exercise, with at the least 24 assaults, which claimed 26 lives, together with 11 safety personnel, six civilians, and 9 militants.