Explosions targeting Jaffar Express, other train disrupt rail traffic in Pak's Balochistan

Karachi: Suspected insurgents detonated bombs in an attempt to attack two trains including the frequently targeted Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, damaging railway tracks and disrupting services, officials said on Saturday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Quetta, Shahid Nawaz, said that on Friday one bomb blast damaged about three feet of railway track in Mushkaf, while another blast in the Dasht area caused further damage.

“In both cases, the Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail passenger trains were the target,” he said.

Railway services were disrupted after tracks were damaged on the main line due to the explosions.

Nawaz said that from Saturday security approval will be granted before confirming passenger train schedules from Quetta to other provinces of Pakistan.

“The safety and security of the passengers is paramount to us, and special security measures are being taken for all Quetta outbound passenger trains,” he said.

Amid security concerns, a special service of the Jaffar Express train was allowed to leave for Peshawar on Saturday.

A railway official said a special service of the Jaffar Express was run to manage passenger rush, while normal services are waiting for security clearance.

It is not the first time insurgents have attacked the Jaffar Express, and its service has already been hit multiple times this year.

Insurgents have attacked the Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail at least three times in the past two months, damaging tracks but causing no deaths.

On March 11, the train became the target of an unprecedented hijacking when terrorists fired on the locomotive and took nearly 400 passengers hostage.

Over 20 people were killed in the attack, while security forces rescued others and killed 33 insurgents.

Gunmen abduct 18 bus passengers in Pakistan’s Sindh

Karachi: Eighteen people were abducted by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan's Sindh province while they were en route to Quetta in a bus.

The incident took place near the Ghotki area on Monday night when the attackers opened fire on the bus at the Highway Link Road close to the Sindh and Punjab border, and took hostage 18 male passengers.

The driver and a few passengers were injured in the firing.

A total of 18 to 20 attackers were present at the scene, all armed and their faces covered, according to a female passenger travelling in the bus, Geo News reported.

The attackers asked 25 passengers to deboard the bus but didn't harm the women passengers, she said.

Zia ul Hasan Lanjhar, spokesperson for the Sindh Home Minister, said there were around 30 passengers on the bus, besides the driver and cleaner.

Security forces managed to rescue 10 passengers on Tuesday in an overnight operation under the DIG’s command.

“Police and Rangers personnel rescued 10 of the abducted passengers after an exchange of fire [with the dacoits] in Sonmiani,” the statement issued by the office of Sukkur Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) said.

It further stated that the dacoits were being chased and “the fight with them is ongoing” for the recovery of the remaining passengers.