Jaffar Express hijacking
Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan
11 March 2025 dawned on us with yet another blackest day in the history of Pakistan after APS Peshawar carnage in Dec 2014, when an armed band of hard-core terrorists belonging to Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed the Jaffar Express, a passenger train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar with around 400 passengers on board.
The attackers reportedly detonated explosives on the railway track before opening fire on the train. It was an ingeniously choreographed terrorist attack launched by a band of terrorists belonging to Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a secessionist group duly funded and armed by foreign powers. The incident which reportedly resulted in the killing of around 30 innocent civilians and 8 security personnel is by far the deadliest attack by an armed group in the country’s history after APS Peshawar carnage.The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the country, nay, the whole world.
The jaffar Express incident has completely changed the security landscape of Pakistan, thus calling for a decisive operation against the terrorists, their abettors, facilitators and financiers in order to stamp out terrorism from the country once and for all. It has made one thing crystal clear that unless the State adopts zero-tolerance policy against anti-state elements and takes ruthless action against them, such nerve-shattering incidents will keep happening without letup.
Ever-surging terrorist incidents are indicatory to the fact that we have put the National Action Plan (NAP) on the shelf and its importance seems to have paled into insignificance. However, the recent tragic incident has made it imperative on the government and those dealing directly with security matters to revive the National Action Plan (NAP), a consensus document ever produced after 1973 Constitution and which played a vital role to unite the nation against terrorism and fight against it laying aside political differences. There is an intense need to act upon this wonderful document in letter and spirit and with a firm resolve to eliminate the vestiges of terrorism which has eaten into the vitals of the country.
The timely operation conducted by our valiant security forces that include army, SSG, air force and FC, deserve a huge pat on their back for saving the lives of hundreds of innocent hostages and for sending all the terrorists to hell. According to reports, 33 terrorists were killed in the operation. Besides, 30 civilians and 8 security personnel lost their lives at the hands of the attackers.
It may be mentioned here that it was the most difficult operation in the history of security operations so far conducted against any terrorists attack given the difficult and highly inhospitable mountainous terrain the terrorist had occupied and also due to the fact that the terrorists were using hostage women and children as human shield in order to frustrate security forces’ attempt to shoot them. It would have been a total fiasco, hadn’t the security forces conducted the operation with consummate professionalism and skill.
According to reports emanating from those directly dealing with the operation, the terrorists were in regular contact via satellite phones with their associates and helpers operating from Afghanistan. They were receiving tactical guidance from them and were constantly changing their strategy according to the instructions received from them, thereby making it extremely hard for the security forces to surmount them. The terrorists according to reports, were armed to the teeth with explosives, rocket launchers, automatic weapons and suicide vests and had placed suicide bombers in the midst of the hostages dividing them (hostages) in different groups, a strategy the terrorists ordinarily adopt on such occasions, thus making it difficult for the security forces to reach out to them. The operation continued for 3 days and the security forces succeeded in getting 346 hostages including civilians and unarmed security personnel going on leave released and killing 33 BLA insurgents.
It’s very unfortunate to see certain elements capitalizing on the situation and using it to their advantage and slamming the government and the security forces gratuitously instead of standing with them during this trying moment and sending a strong message to the terrorists and their handlers. They haven’t uttered a single word condemning this ghastly act of terrorism. All those who have even an iota of patriotism in them won’t hesitate to condemn the incident and express deep sympathy with those who were taken hostage by the terrorists that resulted in the killing of some innocent passengers. Such elements need to realize that the security of the country comes first and foremost and all other petty personal interests and considerations come last, always and every time. All of us need to understand that we owe our very existence to this great country.
PAKISTAN Zindabad.