Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif, has accused India of being the main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan, following the recent attack on the Jaffer Express while claiming that Indian outlets circulated misleading AI-generated videos and broadcast content that misrepresented the terrorists’ actions.
His comments came during a joint press conference on Friday afternoon in Islamabad, where he was accompanied by the Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. They provided details about the March 11 attack on the Jaffer Express, which was targeted by separatist militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
The train, en route from Quetta to Peshawar, was attacked in the Dhadar region of the Bolan Pass, with over 400 passengers taken hostage. Security forces successfully rescued the hostages and neutralized all the assailants in a subsequent operation.
According to DG ISPR, the attack began when the train was halted by an improvised explosive device (IED) at approximately 1 pm in a mountainous area. Prior to this, militants had attacked a Frontier Corps (FC) checkpost, killing three soldiers.
“The BLA militants were positioned in multiple groups, including on the surrounding hills,” he explained. “They took passengers hostage, separating women and children inside the train while escorting the remaining hostages to various locations outside.”
The military official also revealed that on the evening of March 11, a group of hostages was released under the pretext of ethnicity, further fueling tensions and division.
He described the rescue operation that ensued, detailing how security forces surrounded the area on March 12, engaging in a firefight with the militants. Some hostages were able to escape during the exchange. He emphasized that, remarkably, not a single hostage was killed during the operation, which he hailed as one of the most successful counter-terrorism operations in recent years.
“This was the most successful hostage rescue operation in global history, considering the terrain and presence of suicide bombers in the area,” he remarked. “Despite the challenges, our forces executed the mission with precision and minimal casualties.”
He also linked the attack to ongoing regional instability, specifically pointing to Afghanistan as a source of support for terrorist activities in Pakistan as he noted that many of the assailants were linked to Afghan-trained militants, suggesting that the masterminds behind such attacks were based near Pakistan’s northern border.
DG ISPR further claimed that terrorist operations in the region were backed by Afghanistan, especially after the withdrawal of foreign forces, which left behind equipment such as night-vision devices that are now in the hands of militants. He also highlighted the growing issue of narcotics and smuggling, with Afghanistan’s involvement facilitating these illegal activities.
He accused India of being the primary sponsor of the violence in Balochistan, linking the ongoing unrest to the influence of Indian intelligence services.
He stated that the Jaffer Express incident was part of India’s ongoing terrorist mindset. “The main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan and in past incidents is our eastern neighbor. The Jaffer Express attack is a continuation of India’s terrorist mentality,” Sharif said.
He further elaborated on the broader narrative surrounding the attack, accusing Indian media of leading a coordinated information warfare campaign in support of the BLA.
“As soon as the terrorists attacked the train, Indian media began reporting in support of the assailants,” he said, adding that Indian outlets had glorified the attack using AI-generated footage. “Indian media used AI footage to glorify this event. They lifted old videos from social media and aired footage prepared by the terrorist group,” Director General explained.
The briefing, which included slides and footage to support the claims, further highlighted the role of misinformation in fueling the attack’s propaganda.
During the press conference, the statement of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, captured in Balochistan, was also shared as evidence of India’s involvement in the region’s destabilization.
In response to the attack, Balochistan’s Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to the international community for condemning the assault on the train.
He also strongly denounced the BLA, labeling them as terrorists and distancing the group from the Baloch people. “These individuals have no connection to the Baloch community,” Baloch said. “This is not about Baloch identity or rights; it is about terrorism, and they will be treated as such.”
CM further criticized the BLA’s claims of being “liberal,” pointing out that their “grandmother” was India’s intelligence agency, RAW.
