Rescue operation for hostages underway after terrorists attack Jaffar Express in Balochistan

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Security forces are conducting a rescue operation for passengers taken hostage after terrorists opened fire on a Peshawar-bound passenger train from Quetta near Balochistan’s Bolan district on Tuesday, state media reported.

State-owned media outlets Radio Pakistan and PTV News earlier 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”. The reports said that security forces had surrounded the area and launched a clearance operation to rescue all passengers.

The Mashkaf Tunnel is part of a series of tunnels, located around 157km from Quetta and approximately 21km from Sibi. Although the Quetta-Jacobabad N65 highway mostly runs alongside the railway line, 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 very rugged terrain, with the nearest station located at Pehro Kunri. The next stop on the line towards Quetta is at Paneer, just short of the Paneer Tunnel. Credit Abdul Moiz Malik

In a subsequent update, Radio Pakistan reported that security forces had rescued 80 hostages held by the terrorists. “According to security sources, those rescued include 43 men, 26 women and 11 children,” it said, adding that security personnel were working to safely rescue the remaining passengers.

In a further update late in the night, the outlet reported that 13 terrorists were killed while many more were injured by security forces.

“According to security sources, terrorists split into small groups due to security forces’ operation. Injured passengers have been shifted to nearby hospital while additional security squads are taking part in the operation in the area,” the report added.

BLA claims attack

The proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Elaborating on the development in an interview on Geo News show ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the train was taken hostage around noon in the remote area.

“Some passengers were freed as security forces began reaching the site,” he claimed, adding that he could not yet disclose the numbers.

He added that the freed passengers were being taken to the nearest station and eventually their intended destinations. “Many people have been taken off the train to the mountainous area and women and children are being used as a shield [by the terrorists],” Chaudhry added.

The state minister said security forces were treading carefully because of the lives involved, saying that the operation was still underway.

“They are cowards. They [pick] soft targets. They attack while hiding,” he said.

Emergency situation

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,” Rana Muhammad Dilawar, district police officer of Kachhi Bolan, told Dawn.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 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 Dawn.com that 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.

Condemnations

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and paid tribute to the security forces for their “effective action” and rescuing passengers.

“Attacks on innocent citizens and passengers are inhumane and heinous acts. Those who attack passengers are against Balochistan and its traditions.

“The Baloch nation rejects those who attack and take hostages innocent passengers, elders and children. No religion or society allows such heinous acts,” he was quoted as saying in a statement from the Presidency.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said PM Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces for pushing back the terrorists towards a retreat with their “timely action and bravery”.

He added that they would complete the operation soon and “bring the cowardly terrorists to their end”.

“The beastly terrorists who carry out the cowardly attack do not deserve any concession. Terrorists are the enemies of the development of Balochistan,” he said as he pointed out that the targeting of “innocent travellers” in the holy month of Ramazan was a “clear reflection of the fact that these terrorists have no connection with the religion of Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan”.

“We will continue the war against the monster of terrorism until it is completely eradicated from the country. We will thwart every conspiracy to spread insecurity and chaos in Pakistan.

“We will never allow the evil intentions of anti-national elements to succeed. The entire nation stands by its security forces in this war against terrorism,” the premier was quoted as saying.

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.

Rise in Balochistan terror

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.

Additional reporting by Nadir Guramani, Saleem Shahid and Behram Baloch.