ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemns the militant attack on a passenger train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province that killed over 30 people this week, it said on Saturday, expressing solidarity with the families of the victims and the Pakistani people and government.
Militants had taken over the Jaffar Express in a remote mountain pass in the Balochistan province on Tuesday, blowing up train tracks in the attack then holding passengers hostage in a day-long standoff.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group, which claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack, released a statement saying its fighters had escaped with 214 hostages and since executed all of them, without giving any evidence to back that up.
Pakistan security forces killed 33 insurgents, rescued 354 hostages and brought the siege to a close a day later, according to army spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
“OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha extended his deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of the victims,” the OIC said in a statement shared on X.
“He reiterated the OIC’s rejection of all forms and manifestations of terrorism and underscored the OIC’s solidarity with the people and government of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.”
Pakistan has been battling twin insurgencies — one mounted by religiously motivated groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the other by ethnic Baloch separatists in Balochistan.
The BLA is the largest and strongest of several ethnic Baloch insurgent groups which have been fighting for decades to win independence for the mineral-rich province, home to major China-led projects including a port and gold and copper mines.
Lt. Gen. Chaudhry said on Friday that Pakistan had evidence that India and Afghanistan had backed the insurgents, echoing accusations made by the Pakistani foreign ministry after Tuesday’s attack. Both countries have denied the accusation.
OIC expresses solidarity with Pakistan after militant attack on passenger train kills 31
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OIC expresses solidarity with Pakistan after militant attack on passenger train kills 31
- Militants took over the Jaffar Express train in a remote mountain pass in Balochistan province this week, blowing up train tracks in the attack
- A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the day-long train hijacking, an army spokesman said
Pakistan reviews austerity measures amid Middle East crisis, urges strict nationwide implementation
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar chairs review meeting of austerity steps
- Officials briefed on salary cuts, school closures, four‑day week, petrol conservation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday assessed progress on a sweeping set of austerity measures introduced to mitigate the country’s economic strain from sharply rising global oil prices and supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures were unveiled in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude prices sharply higher, straining Pakistan’s heavily import‑dependent energy sector.
“The meeting stressed the importance of strict and transparent adherence to the austerity measures, promoting fiscal responsibility and prudent use of public resources,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement.
He was chairing a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, constituted under the directions of the PM, bringing together federal and provincial officials to review execution of the broad cost‑cutting plan.
Dar emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the PM’s austerity steps nationwide. The committee’s review also covered reductions in departmental expenditure, deductions from salaries of senior officials earning over Rs. 300,000 ($1,120), and coordination with provincial administrations to ensure uniform implementation of the plan.
Participants at the meeting reiterated that all ministries and divisions must continue strict monitoring and reporting, with transparent oversight mechanisms, as Pakistan navigates the economic pressures from the prolonged Middle East crisis and its fallout on global energy and trade markets.
