QUETTA: Terrorists have held train passengers including women and children hostage in Balochistan’s Bolan area, security sources said on Tuesday
Jaffar Express, with over 400 passengers on board in nine bogies, was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it was fired on in Peru Kanri area of Kach district, according to Levies officials.
The militants wounded the driver as they took control of the train in a tunnel and taken passengers hostage in the mountainous area of the province which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
Security forces have reached the site of the incident in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district of Balochistan, a railway official said.
The sources said that despite the extremely difficult and winding road, security forces reached the scene.
Most of the hostages are women and children, they said, adding that terrorists are in contact with their facilitators abroad.
The sources said the clearance operation would continue until all terrorists were eliminated.
The Balochistan government has imposed emergency measures and all institutions have been mobilised to deal with the situation, government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.
Subsequently, a relief train and contingents of security forces were also dispatched to the site.
Sources told Geo News that the assailants blew up a railway track and later opened fire on the train carrying more than 400 passengers.
They added that security officials on the train and attackers exchanged heavy firing following the attack.
Railway officials stated that the Jaffar Express consists of nine bogies and has over 400 passengers on board. The train departed from Quetta at 9am today, they said.
Meanwhile, emergency has been imposed in Sibi and Civil Hospital Quetta.
According to the provincial health department, all medical and paramedical staff have been summoned to Civil Hospital and several wards were vacated to deal with the emergency situation.
The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.
The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.
Balochistan also experienced a surge in militant activity, with at least 24 attacks, which claimed 26 lives, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and nine militants.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
