QUETTA:
An explosion struck a railway track in the Dasht area of Mastung district in Balochistan on Tuesday, targeting the Jaffar Express traveling from Peshawar to Quetta and wounding a dozen passengers.
Officials said the device was an improvised explosive planted near the track, which detonated as the train passed. The blast caused four bogies to derail and left several passengers, including women and children, injured.
Rescue teams and security forces quickly reached the site to evacuate the victims. The injured were taken to hospitals in Quetta, and an emergency was declared to ensure timely medical care.
Health officials reported that while some passengers sustained minor injuries, others remain in serious condition and are receiving critical care. Images shared online showed rescue teams working with law enforcement to clear the wreckage and assist passengers.
Railway authorities confirmed that the explosion severely damaged the track, forcing a suspension of train services in the area. An investigation has been launched, though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi has ordered an inquiry into the Jaffar Express incident and directed authorities to submit a report within 24 hours.
Jaffar Express hijacking
Earlier in March, terrorists hijacked the Jaffar Express train carrying over 400 passengers in nine bogies. Before clearance operations could begin, the attackers martyred 21 passengers. Jaffar Express was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar when it came under attack in the Dhadar area of Bolan Pass.
They also detonated explosives in tunnels and on the tracks before opening fire, bringing the train to a halt in a mountainous area of Sibi district, Balochistan, which was difficult for security forces to access.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, no passengers were harmed during the clearance operation carried out by security forces after terrorists hijacked the Jaffar Express in Bolan district, Balochistan.
“All 33 terrorists have been sent to hell…. Four Frontier Corps personnel embraced martyrdom during the clearance operation,” said Lt Gen Chaudhry in an interview with a private news channel. However, he added, before the clearance operation, 21 passengers were martyred by the terrorists.
Read More: 21 passengers died before clearance operation
“No one can be permitted to make innocent people of Pakistan the victim of their barbarism in the streets, trains, buses or markets because of their misleading ideology,” DG ISPR said. “Whoever does this, let me say it very clearly, will be hunted down and brought to justice. Let me also say that this incident of Jaffer Express changes the rules of the game,” he added.
The DG ISPR also confirmed that the attackers had been in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan, underlining the cross-border nature of the operation.
He revealed that the militants used hostages, including women and children, as human shields, placing them in groups, with suicide bombers among them. The security forces swiftly neutralised the threat, with snipers taking out the suicide bombers, he added.
Mastermind of Jaffar Express hijacking killed
Earlier this week, the mastermind behind passenger train hijacking in Balochistan was killed under mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan, reinforcing Pakistan’s claims that terrorist groups of different hues have formed a nexus across the border where they maintain safe havens.
Gul Rahman, aka Ustad Mureed, affiliated with the Majeed Brigade, the suicide squad of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), had orchestrated the hijacking of the Jaffar Express, which was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar on March 11.
Indian media and social media reports say Gul was killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province on September 17, 2025.
Read More: Mastermind of Jaffar Express hijacking killed
The BLA and other Baloch terrorist groups have been labeled “Fitna al-Hindustan” by Pakistani officials to highlight India’s support for these proxies aimed at destabilising Balochistan.
Gul was reportedly a trainer and operational commander of the Majeed Brigade, which the United States has also designated as a foreign terrorist organisation. He was involved in attacks targeting Pakistani security forces, Chinese nationals, civilians, and state institutions.
The Majeed Brigade has claimed responsibility for attacks on the Jaffar Express, the Chinese Consulate in Karachi, and the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar.
It was also behind the Khuzdar school bus bombing, the Karachi Confucius Institute suicide blast, the Pakistan Stock Exchange attack, and the Quetta Railway Station bombing.
US lists BLA, Majeed Brigade as terrorist organisations
Last month, United States designated the Balochistan Liberation Army and its alias, the Majeed Brigade, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations, the State Department issued a statement on its website .
The statement further said that the Majeed Brigade has also been added as an alias to BLA’s previous Specially Designated Global Terrorist listing, which makes it a crime in the US to provide support to the groups.
BLA was first designated as an SDGT in 2019 following multiple terrorist attacks. Since then, the group has claimed responsibility for further violent incidents, including attacks carried out by the Majeed Brigade, the statement added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that action underlines the Trump administration’s commitment to countering terrorism. “Terrorist designations play a critical role in our fight against this scourge and are an effective way to curtail support for terrorist activities,” Rubio said.
