Karachi: Pakistan Railways has suspended operations of the Jaffar Express between Quetta and Peshawar for four days, starting Sunday, amid heightened security concerns in Balochistan — months after a deadly insurgent attack on the train killed 26 people.
Officials said the suspension, effective from November 9 to 12, was a precautionary step based on recommendations from security and intelligence agencies to safeguard passengers, railway staff, civilians, and vital rail infrastructure.
Locals warned that the halt would disrupt travel for thousands who depend on the Jaffar Express as the most affordable means of transport between the two cities.
The train has faced multiple militant attacks in recent months, with the March incident being the deadliest. That month, the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express carrying 380 passengers, sparking a two-day standoff in the mountains that left 26 people dead. Security forces rescued 354 passengers and killed 33 insurgents.
Subsequent attacks have continued to plague the route. In October, a blast in Sindh derailed five coaches and injured several passengers. A month earlier, an explosion in Balochistan’s Mastung district damaged one coach and derailed six others, injuring 12 people.
Earlier in August, multiple bombings targeted the train in Mastung and Kolpur, injuring passengers and damaging rail cars. Similar attacks in June and July caused derailments in Sindh, though no fatalities were reported.
In November last year, a suicide bombing at Quetta railway station killed 26 people and injured dozens more.
Balochistan’s remote terrain has increasingly become a base for insurgent activity, with militant groups frequently targeting railway tracks, convoys, and infrastructure across the province.
