Pakistan’s Jaffar Express resumes service after deadly attack

Pakistan resumed operations of the Jaffar Express train on Thursday, 16 days after a deadly attack by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) halted services on the Quetta-Peshawar route.

A loudspeaker announcement at Peshawar Cantonment Railway Station at 7 a.m. declared the train’s departure, marking the restoration of a key transport link disrupted by the March 11 attack near the Bolan region of Balochistan, where militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) and took 380 passengers hostage.

According to a report submitted to Pakistan’s National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways, the Jaffar Express had left Peshawar at 9 a.m. on March 11 but was forced to a stop at 1 p.m. when the IED exploded. Security forces launched a rescue operation on March 12, evacuating 354 passengers, while 26 people, including a railway police officer and a staff member, were killed, the report stated.

Despite fears, passengers expressed cautious optimism about resuming travel.

Muhammad Imran, who had initially switched to road travel after the attack, said the security forces’ response reassured him. "The operation that night restored my confidence. I now feel completely at ease traveling by train again," he told Nukta.

Another passenger, Sidra, said Pakistanis refuse to be intimidated. "Life never stops. We move forward with resilience," she said.

The train departed Peshawar with 264 passengers and is expected to reach Quetta after a 32-hour journey, said Abida Maryam Lodhi, Divisional Commercial Officer at Pakistan Railways.

She noted that while security measures in Peshawar remain routine, additional forces have been deployed in Quetta due to heightened security concerns.

At the station, Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam saw off the passengers with prayers for their safe journey. Speaking to Nukta, he said militant groups like the BLA aim to destabilize Pakistan, but security forces remain vigilant. "Action against such elements will continue," he said.

The Jaffar Express is Pakistan’s only passenger train connecting all four provinces. Its return marks a significant step in restoring normalcy to the country’s rail network after one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistan’s railway system in recent years.