Jaffar Express comes under attack at Bolan Pass

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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

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