Jaffar Express targeted again in Balochistan as explosive device detonates on railway track
An explosive device was planted on the railway track in the Shaheed Abdul Aziz Bullo area to target the Peshawar-bound train travelling from Quetta.
The Jaffar Express narrowly escaped another bombing attempt on Sunday when an explosive device planted along its route detonated just seconds after the train passed through Balochistan's Nasirabad district, police and railway officials said. The incident marks the latest in a string of attacks targeting the passenger train.
According to officials, unidentified assailants had planted an improvised explosive device (IED) on the railway track in the Shaheed Abdul Aziz Bullo area, news agency ANI reported, quoting Dawn. The device was triggered moments after the Quetta-to-Peshawar train crossed the spot. No injuries or damage were reported, police confirmed.
Nasirabad Senior Superintendent of Police Ghulam Sarwar told Dawn that police and security forces reached the site after the explosion, cordoned off the area, and began an investigation. "A search operation has also been launched to trace the elements involved in the bomb attack," he said.
Separately, railway officials said that a portion of the track was damaged due to the blast, suspending railway traffic between Quetta and other parts of the country.
Jaffar Express was suspended till Nov 12
The officials added that the Jaffar Express resumed its journey to Peshawar after reaching Jacobabad in Sindh. They said operations had only resumed on Sunday after a four-day suspension due to security concerns.
The Pakistan Railways had suspended services of the Jaffar Express between Quetta and Peshawar for four days beginning, citing heightened security concerns in Balochistan.
Railway officials had said the temporary four-day suspension from November 9 to 12 was a precautionary measure based on advice from security and intelligence agencies to ensure the safety of passengers, railway staff, civilians and critical rail assets.
Jaffar Express repeatedly targeted
The Jaffar Express has faced a string of deadly attacks in recent months, with the March hijacking incident marking the most brutal strike.
In March, the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the train with 380 passengers on board, triggering a tense two-day standoff in a mountainous region and leaving 26 people dead. Security forces later rescued 354 passengers, while 33 insurgents were killed in the operation.
In October, several passengers were injured when an explosion on a railway track derailed five coaches of the train in Sindh.
In September, a blast in Balochistan’s Mastung district damaged one coach and derailed six others, injuring 12 people.
On August 10, an IED blast caused six coaches to derail in Mastung, wounding four passengers.
Just days earlier, on August 4, the pilot engine sent ahead for track clearance came under gunfire near Kolpur — an assault later claimed by the BLA.
The train has also been repeatedly targeted in Sindh. In July, three coaches derailed after an explosion, and in June, a blast in Jacobabad derailed four coaches, though no casualties were reported.
In one of the deadliest attacks last November, a suicide bomber detonated himself at the Quetta railway station, killing at least 26 people and injuring dozens.
Insurgent groups have increasingly used Balochistan’s remote and rugged terrain to target convoys, railway tracks, and trains in recent months.
Also Read: Delhi blast: Panic in Pak after PM Modi vows action; Minister Asif flags economic constraint
Also Read: Pakistan car blast: 12 killed, several injured after explosion in Islamabad's judicial complex