Saturday, March 29, 2025
Jaafar Express Targeted Again in Pakistan: Militants Blow Up Main Railway Track, Hundreds of Passengers Have Narrow Escape.
Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province witnessed another terrorist attack on critical railway infrastructure. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted on the main railway track near the Nothel area of Naseerabad district was detonated, causing significant damage to a section of the track.
A Major Disaster Averted
According to police reports, the explosion occurred just before the Jaafar Express train was due to pass the spot, thus averting a major rail disaster. The train, traveling from Peshawar to Quetta, was preemptively stopped at the Dera Murad Jamali station as a precaution.
Following the blast, railway services between Quetta and other areas were temporarily suspended. Security forces, including police, bomb disposal squads, and other units, cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. During this operation, a second explosive device was discovered and successfully defused.
A History of Targeting
This is not an isolated incident. The Jaafar Express has been repeatedly targeted by militants in the past. In November, the train came under gunfire in the Bolan Pass area. Earlier in March this year, the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaafar Express, taking over 400 passengers hostage in a deadly siege that resulted in the deaths of several security personnel.
Furthermore, in October, a track explosion in Sindh’s Shikarpur district injured seven people.
Raising Serious Questions
This latest string of attacks raises serious questions about the safety of rail passengers in Pakistan and underscores the challenges faced by the state’s internal security apparatus, particularly in the volatile Balochistan region. The ability of militants to repeatedly strike key infrastructure highlights ongoing security vulnerabilities.
