PESHAWAR: Jaffar Express resumed operations early on Thursday morning after a 17-day hiatus following a deadly terrorist attack near Bolan in Balochistan.

The passenger train, decorated with buntings, departed from the Peshawar Cantonment Railway Station, with federal minister Amir Muqam and railway officials seeing travellers off.

According to officials, the Jaffar Express, the only train that traverses all four provinces, will travel through Punjab and Sindh before reaching Quetta on Friday evening, completing its 34-hour journey. A total of 280 passengers have reserved seats for the journey, including 28 from Peshawar.

They said that the service was suspended after the train was targeted in a terrorist attack on March 11. Security forces launched a successful operation, eliminating all 33 attackers, but the incident claimed the lives of 26 passengers.

Minister Muqam says govt, people, security forces united against terrorists

Mr Muqam told reporters that the resumption of the Jaffar Express after the attack in Bolan had conveyed a clear and powerful message that the entire nation, government and security forces were united for Pakistan.

He said the “nefarious designs” of terrorists would be frustrated with unity. He said no one would be allowed to attack the train again.

The minister said terrorism was a problem for the entire nation, and if there was peace, everything would work.

“Unfortunately, the priorities of a certain group are different. It is using Pakistan’s resources against Pakistan,” he said. Mr Muqam said the government policy about the repatriation of undocumented and illegal Afghans was clear, and necessary actions were being taken in line with the national policy.

He claimed that the KP government was receiving its NFC share regularly from the federal government but the situation in public sector hospitals and schools in the province was pathetic.

The minister said that KP had been denied development by the PTI during its 12-year rule, while thousands of poor and deserving people were overlooked in the Rs10 billion CM Ramazan Package.

He alleged “favouritism and likes and dislikes” in the CM Ramazan Package and insisted many deserving poor and underprivileged were denied the relief.

Mr Muqam said the relief package under the Prime Minister’s Ramazan package was distributed transparently among the poor in the country, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that the PTI’s politics revolved around agitation in a bid to provide relief to its detained founder Imran Khan.

The minister said the boycott of the National Security’s meeting showed the irrational approach of the PTI leadership.

He asked the PTI activists to avoid making an effort for the release of a “single person” and focus their attention on resolving people’s issues. He said the people could not be fooled through hollow slogans of bringing change in their fate unless practical, visible steps were taken for development of backward areas.

Mr Muqam said that it was the duty of the PTI provincial government to fulfil its commitment for people’s development and improvement of the condition of public sector educational institutions, healthcare centres and communication systems.

He said the PTI government should follow the Punjab government’s mega schemes for public welfare, which had led to the popularity of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in the province.

The minister said the opposition should have run the movement not for a single individual but against terrorism. He said the government would continue to resolve the people’s problems.

He said in just one year, the government under the leadership of PM Shehbaz Sharif had made the impossible possible, with economic stability at the top.

“The recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund is also a sign of economic stability,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Muqam was briefed by the Pakistan Railways officials on security arrangements for trains.

They said all possible steps had been taken to ensure security of the Jaffar Express train.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2025