Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, confirmed on Wednesday that no passengers were harmed during the clearance operation carried out by security forces after terrorists hijacked the Jaffar Express in Bolan district, Balochistan.
"All 33 terrorists have been sent to hell.... Four Frontier Corps personnel embraced martyrdom during the clearance operation," said Lt Gen Chaudhry in an interview with a private news channel.
He revealed that the militants used hostages, including women and children, as human shields, placing them in groups, with suicide bombers among them. The security forces swiftly neutralised the threat, with snipers taking out the suicide bombers, he added.
The DG ISPR also confirmed that the attackers had been in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan, underlining the cross-border nature of the operation. The security forces successfully freed the hostages, and all terrorists were neutralised during the operation.
Jaffar Express, with over 400 passengers on board in nine bogies, was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar when it came under attack in the Dhadar area of Bolan Pass on Tuesday, according to security sources.
It all started after armed gunmen forced the train to a halt in a remote, mountainous area of the province on Tuesday afternoon, with the assault immediately claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a terrorist group behind rising violence in the province.
The attackers bombed the railway track before storming aboard the train, said the security forces.
Sources indicated that the railway tracks had been destroyed with explosives, causing the train to stop, after which firing began, resulting in the death of the driver and several passengers.
Railway authorities stated that mobile networks were not working in the area where the train was located, causing difficulties in communication.
Following the Jaffer Express incident, a help desk has been set up for passenger inquiries, and trains from Peshawar and Quetta have been stopped at the Sibi station.
Meanwhile, train services from Quetta to other regions of the country have been halted following a terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express. According to railway authorities, no trains will operate from Quetta today until further notice due to security concerns.
After the terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express, Indian and anti-national social media platforms have been unusually active, spreading misleading information and false propaganda.
According to sources, propaganda and fake news are being spread through old videos, AI-generated videos, outdated images, fake WhatsApp messages, and posters in an attempt to incite hysteria.
Sources indicate that a malicious social media campaign is attempting to create panic among the public. Social media accounts linked to terrorists are also working with Indian media to spread anti-Pakistan rhetoric.
Security sources stated that Indian media is misleading the public by broadcasting analyses from self-exiled Baloch leaders sitting outside Pakistan. People are being misled, and the public is advised to rely on credible sources of information rather than the misleading and fabricated propaganda spread on social media.
President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Shhebaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack on the Jaffer Express, stating that attacks on innocent passengers are inhumane and reprehensible.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, stating, “The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions.” He also expressed his hope for the speedy recovery of those injured in the attack.
The incident has raised concerns over the security of the railway routes passing through remote areas of the province. Officials have, however, assured the public that measures are being taken to prevent such attacks in the future.
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