NASIRABAD (MNN); The Jaffar Express narrowly escaped a bomb attack in Balochistan’s Nasirabad district on Sunday, police and railway officials reported.
Unidentified attackers had planted an explosive device on the railway track in the Shaheed Abdul Aziz Bullo area to target the Peshawar-bound train traveling from Quetta. The device was detonated, but the train passed safely, and no casualties were reported.
Nasirabad Senior Superintendent of Police Ghulam Sarwar stated that police and security forces promptly cordoned off the site and launched an investigation. “A search operation has also been initiated to track down those involved in the attack,” he added.
Railway officials confirmed that a section of the track was damaged, leading to a temporary suspension of railway traffic between Quetta and other parts of the country. The Jaffar Express resumed its journey to Peshawar after reaching Jacobabad in Sindh.
The train had resumed operations today after a four-day suspension due to security concerns.
The Jaffar Express has been repeatedly targeted this year. In March, the Balochistan Liberation Army attacked the Peshawar-bound train carrying 440 passengers, taking hostages and opening fire. Security forces launched a two-day operation, killing all 33 terrorists involved.
In June, a remote-controlled explosive device near Jacobabad derailed four coaches, though no one was hurt. The banned Baloch Republican Guards claimed responsibility. In July, three coaches derailed near Shikarpur; initial reports cited an explosion, though later the Railways Ministry attributed it to a technical fault.
In August, a bomb near Sibi Railway Station exploded just after the train passed, narrowly avoiding casualties. Later that month, six coaches derailed in Mastung due to a track-mounted bomb, but no loss of life was reported, according to Muhammad Kashif, public relations officer of Pakistan Railways’ Quetta division.
