ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi has announced the resumption of Jaffar Express train service today, Tuesday, Pakistani state media reported, a week after separatist militants hijacked the passenger train in the southwestern Balochistan province.
Fighters of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) separatist group bombed a section of the railway track and stormed the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train carrying over 400 passengers, in Mushkaaf, a rugged area in the mountainous Bolan range of Balochistan on March 11.
The crisis was resolved the following day when the armed forces carried out a successful operation to rescue the hostages, killing 33 militants in the process. A final count showed 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack.
Abbasi said the track, which had been damaged in the recent attack by separatist militants in Balochistan, has now been fully restored, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Jaffar Express will resume its operations from today. Drone surveillance will be launched for train operations in Balochistan,” Abbasi was quoted as saying.
“CCTV cameras are also being installed at railway stations and other sensitive locations across the country to improve security.”
In oil-and-mineral-rich Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and least populated province, ethnic Baloch separatists have long accused the central government of denying locals of a share in the province’s resources. Islamabad and Pakistan’s military strongly reject the allegations.
The military has a huge presence in Balochistan and has long run intelligence-based operations against insurgent groups such as the BLA, who have escalated attacks in recent months on the military and nationals from longtime ally China, which is building key projects in the region, including a port at Gwadar.
More than 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of assaults in Balochistan claimed by the BLA.
Pakistan to resume Jaffar Express train service today after deadly hijacking
https://arab.news/z8kbe
Pakistan to resume Jaffar Express train service today after deadly hijacking
- Separatist militants last week hijacked Jaffer Express and killed 31 people, including security personnel
- Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi says drone surveillance will be conducted for train operations in Balochistan
Pakistan, global crypto exchange discuss modernizing digital payments, creating job prospects
- Pakistani officials, Binance team discuss coordination between Islamabad, local banks and global exchanges
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance officials and the team of a global cryptocurrency exchange on Friday held discussions aimed at modernizing the country’s digital payments system and building local talent pipelines to meet rising demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, the finance ministry said.
The development took place during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib, domestic bank presidents and a Binance team led by Global CEO Richard Teng. The meeting was held to advance work on Pakistan’s National Digital Asset Framework, a regulatory setup to govern Pakistan’s digital assets.
Pakistan has been moving to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight, and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Participants reviewed opportunities to modernize Pakistan’s digital payments landscape, noting that blockchain-based systems could significantly reduce costs from the country’s $38 billion annual remittance flows,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
“Discussions also emphasized building local talent pipelines to meet rising global demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, creating high-value employment prospects for Pakistani youth.”
Blockchain is a type of digital database that is shared, transparent and tamper-resistant. Instead of being stored on one computer, the data is kept on a distributed network of computers, making it very hard to alter or hack.
Web3 refers to the next generation of the Internet built using blockchain, focusing on giving users more control over their data, identity and digital assets rather than big tech companies controlling it.
Participants of the meeting also discussed sovereign debt tokenization, which is the process of converting a country’s debt such as government bonds, into digital tokens on a blockchain, the ministry said.
Aurangzeb called for close coordination between the government, domestic banks and global exchanges to modernize Pakistan’s payment landscape.
Participants of the meeting also discussed considering a “time-bound amnesty” to encourage users to move assets onto regulated platforms, stressing the need for stronger verifications and a risk-mitigation system.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, crack down on money laundering and terror financing, and promote responsible innovation — a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
