Rail service restored in Balochistan

Published

QUETTA, Feb 8: The train service between Quetta and the rest of the country was restored after eight hours' disruption on Tuesday morning after the damaged portion of the main track near Damboli was repaired by Pakistan Railways engineers.

However, a fresh rocket attack on Tuesday morning destroyed the microwave communication installations in the Glangoor area of Chagai district, disrupting the communication system in a vast area of three districts.

"Around 7,000 telephones went out of order in three districts of Balochistan," said a spokesman for the PTCL, Quetta.

He told this correspondent that unknown people had fired three rockets at the microwave installations in the early hours. One rocket landed in the microwave station building. It did not explode, but caused damaged to the communication system.

The bomb disposal squad despatched from Quetta later defused the rocket. Meanwhile, railway traffic was once again suspended for at least three hours in the afternoon on Tuesday and all passenger trains coming from Quetta were stopped at the Sibi station after receiving information about more explosions in the same area.

However, the Pakistan Railways staff concerned and law enforcement agencies checked the railway track from Sibi to Bakhtairabad and later allowed the detained trains to continue their journey.

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