Terror on the tracks

Jaffer Express – which had experienced an agonising hijacking drama in March, resulting in the killing of 64 people including hostages, attackers and hostages – is once again in the news. Yesterday, the passenger train was targeted with a powerful explosive device planted on the railway track.

The remotely-detonated device tore through the train on Sindh-Balochistan border near Jacobabad, derailing four bogies. Fortunately, the passenger train escaped what could have been a deadly act of sabotage. That no lives were lost is nothing short of a miracle.

This was not a random act of violence. It was an act of terrorism — targeted, deliberate and calculated to create fear and instability. The banned Baloch Republican Guards claimed responsibility in a statement that began circulating on social media within hours, leaving little doubt about the perpetrators or their intentions. More troubling is the growing evidence that such acts are not just rooted in local dissent but are sponsored and supported by their Indian patrons who aim to sow chaos and exploit internal fault lines.

The train was en route to Quetta, a route long vulnerable to attacks designed to disrupt Balochistan's linkages with the rest of the country. This is not as an isolated incident, but as part of a broader agenda of asymmetric warfare. The message from the perpetrators is that they intend to keep striking at the heart of Pakistan's national cohesion. Mere condemnations and warnings will not suffice. Intelligence and rapid justice must now become the order of the day.

The enemies of Pakistan — foreign and domestic are attempting to derail more than just trains when they target our collective confidence and unity. The response must be equally forceful but rooted in law, powered by will and backed by unambiguous action.