RAHIM YAR KHAN: A blast occurring on the railway track between Adam Sahaba and Sadiqabad stations, some 17 kilometres from here, disrupted rail traffic on main Lahore-Karachi track for seven hours on Saturday night.

According to sources, the blast occurred around midnight when 28-Down Shalimar Express was crossing Stone 134, resulting in derailment of its power van. Following the blast, the rail traffic on both Up and Down tracks was suspended.

According to railways Sukkur division Superintendent Farukh Taimur Ghalzai, railway police, bomb disposal squad and Rescue 1122 teams reached the scene and started efforts to restore the tracks. According to a BDS official, four to five kilogram explosive was used for the blast that left a three-foot wide crater on the track.

Station Master Manzoor Mashoori said that after the incident Pakistan Express (Down) was halted at Rahim Yar Khan station, while Allama Iqbal Express (Up) was stopped at Sadiqabad.

The Up track was restored at 2:50am while the Down one was restored at 6:45am after removing the power van from the tracks with the help of a crane, he said.

According to sources, no railway police personnel was on duty when the blast occurred, while the district police personnel posted at a nearby checkpoint were asleep.

However, a district police spokesperson claimed, quoting the DPO, that

Sadiqabad Sadar SHO was present at Stone No 119 when the blast occurred at Stone No 134. He also deplored shortage of police in the district, besides citing engagement of the force in flood-related work. He said the DPO had ordered deployment of 100 policemen along the railway track for security purpose.

Meanwhile, a man introducing himself as Sarbaz Baloach of Baloach Republican Army called some local journalists from a mobile phone (+8821621012660) claiming responsibility for the blast, saying it was in reaction to army operation against militants in Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2015

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