Jaffar Express comes under attack at Bolan Pass

Published
A train stands at a railway station in Quetta on March 12. — AFP
A train stands at a railway station in Quetta on March 12. — AFP

QUETTA: The Pesha­war-bound Jaffar Express once again escaped an ar­­m­­ed attack in the Bolan Pass area of Kachhi distr­i­­ct, Balochistan, on Monday.

It was the sixth attack on the Jaffar Express bet­ween Quetta and Sibi during the past one and a half months.

Railway officials said the Jaffar Express depar­ted Quetta for its destination, Peshawar, on schedule, and after crossing Mach station, when it rea­ched near Aab-i-Gum, ar­­med men opened fire on the train from the nearby mountains.

Security personnel, in­­cluding Railways Police tr­­­avelling on the train, im­mediately retaliated and returned fire. How­ever, after a brief exch­an­­ge, the assailants escaped from the area.

Railway officials said all bogies of the Jaffar Express remained safe in the armed attack. “No cas­ualty was reported in the shooting and all passengers travelling on the train remained safe,” a senior railway official said.

He said the train was stopped after the firing in­­cident and later procee­ded to its next destination after security clearance. Security on the railway track was tightened following the armed attack on the train.

The Jaffar Express has been facing continuous attacks, including a bomb blast on the railway track between Quetta and Jacobabad.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

Rampant lawlessness
Updated 25 Jul, 2026

Rampant lawlessness

THE brutal slaying of a judge and his guard in Mastung is the latest in a series of blood-drenched events that have...
Daily fuel pricing
25 Jul, 2026

Daily fuel pricing

THE government’s move to daily petroleum price adjustments should make fuel pricing more transparent and more...
The drug problem
25 Jul, 2026

The drug problem

WHILE Islamabad Police chase low-level peddlers, the capital’s kingpins have quietly taken their operations ...
A new chokepoint
Updated 24 Jul, 2026

A new chokepoint

WITH free transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz blocked due to the US-Iran conflict, a new chokepoint has...
Improved rating
24 Jul, 2026

Improved rating

S&P GLOBAL’S decision to upgrade Pakistan’s long-term sovereign credit rating to ‘B’ with a stable...
More firetraps
24 Jul, 2026

More firetraps

WHILE it was already apparent that death traps dot Karachi, a safety audit by the Sindh government has thrown up...