Terrorists opened fire on a Peshawar-bound passenger train from Quetta near Bolan district in Balochistan on Tuesday, state media reported, prompting an operation to rescue nearly 500 passengers onboard as authorities have yet to confirm casualties or further details about the attack.
State-owned media outlets Radio Pakistan and PTV News reported citing “security sources” that terrorists attacked Jaffar Express in the Dhadar area of Bolan Pass and had taken passengers, including women and children, as hostages while remaining in communication with their foreign “facilitators”.
They added that the security forces had surrounded the area and launched a clearance operation that would continue till the aggressors were eliminated.
An earlier statement from Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said there were reports of “intense firing at a Jaffar Express [train], which was heading from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar”.
Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif said the train, comprising nine coaches, has around 500 passengers on board.
“The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8. Efforts are being made to contact the passengers and staff,” the controller said.
“The trains are stuck just before a tunnel surrounding the mountain, while security has also been beefed up on the N-65 Highway,” Rana Muhammad Dilawar, district police officer of Kachhi Bolan, told media.com.
Reuters reported that security forces said an explosion was heard near the tunnel and that they were exchanging fire with the militants in the mountainous area.
The Mashkaf Tunnel is located around 157 kilometres from Quetta and approximately 21km from Sibi.
Although the Quetta-Jacobabad N65 highway and the railway line run mostly side-by-side through the Bolan region, they diverge near the town of Mashkaf.
From here, the railway line takes a more direct path, cutting through the mountains and running along the Bolan River, rejoining the main road near Mach.
The Mashkaf Tunnel is located in a very isolated part of the rugged area, with the nearest station located at Pehro Kunri. The next stop on the line towards Quetta is the stop at Paneer, just short of the Paneer Tunnel.
According to the government’s statement, an emergency has been imposed at the Sibi hospital, while ambulances and security forces were on their way to the site of the incident. However, Rind added, the officials were facing difficulties in reaching the site due to the rocky terrain.
“The railway department has sent more trains to the site to provide rescue,” the statement further said.
“The scale of the incident and the possibility of terrorist elements are being determined. The Balochistan government has ordered that emergency measures be taken, and all institutions remain active.”
Rind urged the public to remain calm and avoid paying heed to rumours.
Tariq Mahmood, the in-charge of Peshawar Railway Station’s emergency counter set up for the incident, told media.com that “four people aboard the train are government officials and residents of Peshawar.”
He said one of them was supposed to get off at Peshawar, two at Nowshera, and the fourth was supposed to get off at a station in the Attock district.
Mahmood said the “Jaffar Express reaches Peshawar in 34 hours after passing through different areas of the four provinces. Most people from different areas of Punjab board the train after it takes off from Quetta.”
An emergency has also been declared at the Civil Hospital Quetta, according to Health Department Spokesperson Dr Waseem Baig. “All consultants, doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses and paramedical staff have been summoned to the hospital,” Baig said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident, saying: “The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions.”
He also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the firing, according to a statement.
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar also strongly condemned the incident.
“The heinous plans of anti-national and anti-social elements will never be allowed to be allowed,” the statement said. “The Sindh government stands with the Balochistan government.
“Provincial police and other law enforcement agencies will bring this situation under control.”
Former president Arif Alvi condemned the “heinous and cowardly terrorist attack”, adding that the people had a united stand on such matters. “This is where exactly, the undivided attention of the armed forces is required,” he said in a post on X.
The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group claimed responsibility for the attack.
In October last year, Pakistan Railways had announced the restoration of train services between Quetta and Peshawar after a suspension of more than a month and a half.
Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station.
A security report released in January by the Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) showed that in 2024, the number of terror attacks reached levels comparable to the security situation in 2014 or earlier.
It said that while terrorists no longer controlled specific territories inside Pakistan as they did in 2014, the prevailing insecurity in parts of KP and Balochistan was “alarming”.
It said that over 95 per cent of terrorist attacks recorded in 2024 were concentrated in KP and Balochistan.
Attacks by various outlawed Baloch insurgent groups, primarily the BLA and the Balochistan Liberation Front, saw a staggering 119 per cent increase, accounting for 171 incidents in Balochistan, it said.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
American Dollar Exchange Rate