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
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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 alleges India behind Balochistan attacks that killed 18 civilians, 15 troops
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi accuses India of planning coordinated attacks across Balochistan this week
- Military says it killed 133 militants on Friday and Saturday in separate operations across various areas in Balochistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi this week alleged that India was behind the recent coordinated attacks in the southwestern Balochistan province that the military says killed 18 civilians and 15 troops, vowing to go after those responsible for the violence.
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday that it had killed 133 militants in the past two days in separate operations in Balochistan. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said 41 militants were killed in operations in Panjgur and Harnai areas on Friday while 92 militants, including three suicide bombers, were killed on Saturday as security forces repelled coordinated attacks on civilians and law enforcement personnel in Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump and Pasni areas.
It added that 18 civilians, including women, children, elderly people and laborers, were killed in the attacks in Gwadar and Kharan, while 15 security personnel were also killed during clearance operations and armed standoffs.
“India is behind these attacks,” Naqvi said during a joint press conference in Quetta late Saturday night with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. “I can tell you for sure that India planned these attacks along with these terrorists.”
He vowed that Islamabad would go after the militants who carried out these attacks and their “masters.”
“At this time it is very necessary that the world knows that the main country that is behind terrorism is India, who not only financially supports terrorists but also supports them in their planning and strategy as well,” the minister said.
In its statement on Saturday, the ISPR said the attacks were launched by “Indian sponsored Fitna al Hindustan,” a reference the military frequently uses for the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militant group.
The BLA also issued a statement on Saturday, saying it had launched what it called “Operation Herof 2.0,” claiming responsibility for attacks in multiple locations across Balochistan.
The military had said intelligence reports have confirmed the attacks were orchestrated and directed by militant leaders operating from outside Pakistan who were in direct communication with attackers during the assaults.
Pakistan has frequently blamed India for supporting militant attacks in Balochistan and its northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces, charges that New Delhi has vehemently denied.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has faced a decades-long insurgency by separatist militant groups, with Pakistani authorities frequently accusing foreign actors of backing the violence. India has repeatedly denied such allegations.
