Suspected insurgents triggered bomb blasts in an apparent attempt to target two passenger trains, including the often-attacked Jaffar Express, in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, damaging railway tracks and disrupting train services, officials said on Saturday.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Quetta Shahid Nawaz said that two explosions were reported on Friday. One blast damaged nearly three feet of railway track in the Mushkaf area, while another explosion in the Dasht area caused additional damage to the main line.
"In both incidents, the intended targets were the Jaffar Express and the Bolan Mail passenger trains," Nawaz said.
Railway services disrupted
Rail traffic was disrupted after the explosions damaged tracks on the main railway line. Nawaz said that from Saturday onwards, passenger train schedules from Quetta to other parts of Pakistan will be confirmed only after security clearance.
"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.
Jaffar Express was targeted multiple times
This is not the first time the Jaffar Express has been targeted by insurgents, with the train coming under attack multiple times this year. Over the past two months, insurgents have attacked the Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail at least three times, damaging railway infrastructure but causing no casualties.
On March 11, the Jaffar Express was subjected to an unprecedented hijacking when terrorists opened fire on the locomotive and took nearly 400 passengers hostage. The attack left more than 20 people dead, while security forces later rescued the remaining passengers and killed 33 insurgents.
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