ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday called on the interim administration in Afghanistan to bring to justice the masterminds behind a militant attack on a passenger train in Balochistan, asking Afghan authorities to take action against those responsible for orchestrating the assault since they were based on its soil.
The attack, which took place in the southwestern Bolan region, saw separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants bomb a railway track and storm the Jaffar Express, taking over 200 passengers hostage.
This was followed by a security forces rescue operation, which led to the killing of 33 BLA fighters who had stationed suicide bombers near civilians to prolong the standoff.
The separatist group accuses the government of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources while leaving its people in poverty. Government officials deny the allegation and say they are developing the province through multibillion-dollar projects, including those backed by China.
“Terrorists were in direct communication with Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident,” foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said during his weekly news briefing. “Pakistan has repeatedly asked the interim Afghan government to deny the use of its soil for a terrorist group like BLA to attack Pakistan.”
“We urge Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organizers and financiers of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan to bring all those who are concerned with this attack, including the real sponsors of terrorism, to justice,” he added.
Pakistan has frequently attributed the recent surge in militant violence in the country to cross-border attacks originating from Afghanistan, alleging that such incursions are “facilitated” by authorities in Kabul. The Afghan government has denied these allegations.
The foreign office spokesperson said Pakistan was addressing the threat through a multifaceted approach, combining military action, intelligence-based operations and diplomatic efforts to expose foreign sponsors of terrorism.
“So it’s a complex and multifaceted approach,” he said. “This is not a one-track approach.”
Pakistan urges Afghanistan to bring militant masterminds to justice after deadly train attack
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Pakistan urges Afghanistan to bring militant masterminds to justice after deadly train attack
- Separatist militants took over 200 passengers hostage in Balochistan after targeting a passenger train
- Pakistan says it is taking a ‘multifaceted approach’ involving diplomacy, military action to deal with the threat
Over 200 security forces personnel killed in Balochistan militant attacks in 2025— chief minister
- Pakistani security forces launched thousands of operations, killed 760 militants, says Sarfraz Bugti
- Pakistan’s military media wing says 12 “Indian-sponsored militants” killed in Balochistan’s Kalat district
ISLAMABAD: Over 200 security forces personnel were killed in several militant attacks in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province this year, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Sunday.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by since yet its most backward by almost all social and economic indicators, has suffered from a bloody separatist insurgency for decades launched by ethnic Baloch militant groups. The most prominent among them is the Balochistan Liberation Army.
These militant outfits accuse the military and federal government of denying the local Baloch population a share in the province’s mineral wealth, charges Islamabad denies.
“We have lost [in one year] 205 security forces personnel, including paramilitary, uniformed, police, levies, and along with that, there are six officers,” Bugti told reporters during a press conference.
The chief minister said Balochistan had witnessed 900 militant attacks throughout the year, adding that the number of civilian casualties was recorded at 280.
Bugti said security forces had also launched thousands of intelligence-based operations in 2025 against militants.
“Out of those, the terrorists who have been killed so far, that is 760,” he said.
TWELVE MILITANTS KILLED IN KALAT
Separately, the Pakistani military’s media wing said on Sunday that security forces had killed 12 “Indian-sponsored militants” in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Dec. 6.
It said the militants belonged to Indian proxy “Fitna al Hindustan,” a term the military uses frequently to describe ethnic Baloch militant groups who demand independence from Pakistan. Islamabad accuses New Delhi of arming and funding these separatist groups, charges India has always denied.
“Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” the ISPR said.
Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan, has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent months. Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that security forces had killed five militants in the Dera Bugti area of the province.
