The driver of Jaffar Express, which was hijacked by Balochistan Liberation Army militants, has described the terrifying moment when the insurgents attacked the train as survivors praised the military for their rescue. On Tuesday, Jaffar Express travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers was hijacked in which 21 civilians and four soldiers were killed. Speaking after the attack, Amjad described how the militants first detonated an explosive under the train's engine, causing the bogies to derail, the Express Train reported. As soon as the train stopped, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists launched an attack, he said. Meanwhile, one of the freed passengers recalled how the attackers took them hostage after the blast. They held us at gunpoint, but the commandos risked their own lives to rescue us, he said, adding that the military's courage gave them strength during the ordeal. The ordeal began on Tuesday when separatist militants ambushed the Jaffar Expr
Survivors of the attack described the terrifying moments when gunmen stormed the train, checking identity cards and targeting soldiers while letting some families go
Government officials say 190 of them have been rescued so far. The militants say all the passengers detained are security officials and all civilians have been freed
UN Secretary-General Antonio has strongly condemned the hijacking of a train in Pakistan's Balochistan province and voiced concern about persons taken hostage, calling for their immediate release. The UN Chief stressed that attacks against civilians are unacceptable. The Secretary-General strongly condemns the hijacking of a train in Pakistan's Balochistan province, a statement issued by his spokesman Stphane Dujarric said. Guterres is deeply concerned about the persons taken hostage and calls for their immediate release, the statement added. Suspected Baloch gunmen opened fire at a passenger train in Pakistan's restive Balochistan on Tuesday. Jaffar Express, with around 500 passengers on board in nine coaches, was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa when it was fired upon between Gudalaar and Piru Koneri, according to officials. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed it seized control of the train by derailing it. The group said it had killed six secu
At least 13 terrorists were killed and 80 passengers rescued by security forces after suspected Baloch militants hijacked a train in a tunnel in Pakistan's restive Balochistan's province on Tuesday, security officials said. The Jaffar Express, carrying approximately 500 passengers in nine bogies, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when armed men intercepted it in a tunnel near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri on Tuesday morning. Security officials said so far they have killed 13 terrorists and rescued 80 passengers. The rescue operation is underway, they said. Earlier, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said, The security forces have managed to rescue 80 passengers -- 43 men, 26 women and 11 children -- from a bogie." However, around 400 passengers remained on the train, still trapped inside the tunnel as security forces engaged in a gun battle with the militants, he said. Rind said rescue teams have been dispatched amid reports of intense firing
The Pakistan government has asked Afghan nationals living in Pakistan to leave the country by March 31, ARY News reported.According to ARY News, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior has asked Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country themselves otherwise, they will be deported from April 1,The Afghan nationals will be deported from April 1st, the ministry said in a statement.Earlier, reports of Pakistan planning to evict Afghans had emerge,d but this is the first the Interior Ministry has officially confirmed the development, ARY News reported"Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Program (IFRP) is being implemented since November 1, 2023. In continuation of the government's decision to repatriate all illegal foreigners, national leadership has now decided to also repatriate ACC holders," the interior ministry said in an official handout."All illegal foreigners and ACC holders are advised to leave the country voluntarily before March 31, 2025; thereafter, deportation will commence ..
Pakistan security forces on Friday killed at least six terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the country's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military's media wing said. According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists. The statement said that troops effectively engaged the militants and six of them were killed in the operation. The ISPR said that a sanitisation operation was conducted to eliminate any other militant found in the area as the security forces are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country. The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, a think-tank. The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, includin
Recently, the Pakistan army and ISI officials visited very sensitive areas near the Indian border, near the chicken's neck in Bangladesh
Pakistani troops opened fire on an Indian Army post along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector on Sunday around 11 AM, prompting an immediate retaliation from the Indian Army
At least 15 terrorists, including high-value target ringleaders, and four army personnel were killed in two separate intelligence-based operations in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, the two intelligence-based operations (IBOs) were carried out in Dera Ismail and North Waziristan districts of the province. The first IBO took place in the general area of Hathala in Dera Ismail Khan district where the security forces effectively engaged the terrorists at their location. Nine of them, including high-value target ringleaders Farman alias Saqib, Kharji Amanullah alias Toori, Kharji Saeed alias Liaqat and Kharji Bilal, were killed, the ISPR said adding that they were involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area and were on the top of the wanted' list of the law enforcement agencies. The second IBO was conducted in the general area of
Jailed former premier Imran Khan wrote a letter to Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir, criticizing the establishment's policies and urging him to review its approach towards national security and governance as his party prepares for protests on the first anniversary of the general elections later this week. Khan, who has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi for over a year, sent the letter from the prison, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Gohar Ali Khan told the media on Monday. The contents of the letter would be shared with the public, Gohar added. He said that Khan in his letter pointed out that the distance between the people and the establishment was widening. This [mistrust] should not take place at all, but there are certain reasons because of which this gulf is wideningOwing to those reasons, the army is being blamed, so the policy reasons must be reevaluated, Khan wrote in the letter. His lawyer, Faisal Fareed Chaudhry, told the media that Khan argued in his letter t
Pakistan witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42 per cent compared to the previous month, a think tank has said. Quoting the data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), Dawn reported on Monday that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals suffered injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians and 10 militants. The report highlighted an intensified counterterrorism campaign by security forces, which led to elimination of at least 185 militants in January, making it the second deadliest month for militant casualties since 2016. The highest number of militants killed in a single month since 2016 was recorded in December 2024, when security forces neutralised 190 militants. The combined toll of militant attacks and security operations in January stood at 245 fataliti
Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir has vowed to hunt down the frenemies acting as terrorist proxies targeting the country. Munir's comments came as he visited Quetta on Saturday following the killing of 18 soldiers during clashes with terrorists in Balochistan's Kalat district. Twenty-three terrorists were also killed in clashes. During the visit, Munir was given a comprehensive brief on the prevailing security situation in Balochistan, the Army said in a statement. Munir said, "Those who are acting as terrorist proxies of their foreign masters who have mastered the art of manifesting double standards of hunting with the hound and running with the hare are well known to us." No matter what these so-called frenemies' may do, you will surely be defeated by the resilience of our proud nation and its Armed Forces Inshallah. For the defence of our motherland and its people, we will definitely retaliate and hunt you down', whenever required and wherever you may be, he said. Pakista
Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir visited Balochistan on Saturday amid clashes in the restive province in which 18 security personnel and 23 terrorists have been killed in the last 24 hours, according to a media report. The army chief was given a comprehensive brief on the prevailing security situation in the province which was also attended by senior security and intelligence officials, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. The army chief along with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail offered prayers at the funeral of the slain soldiers and also visited the injured soldiers in the Combined Military Hospital Quetta, according to the Pakistan military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). No matter what these so-called frenemies' may do, you will surely be defeated by the resilience of our proud nation and its armed forces, Gen Munir said. The COAS also appreciated the efforts of the valiant officer
Ujjwal Nikam apprised about revelations by the co-conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, David Headly, to the court in Mumbai, saying that he had produced email correspondence
In a rare high-level meeting in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and Bangladesh's militaries stressed that their 'enduring partnership' must 'remain resilient against external influences'
Militants targeted a truck carrying paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) personnel with an improvised explosive device in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, injuring four civilians, police said on Saturday. The attack happened in the Chaman city of the province on Friday. Police officials said the militants used an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting the truck but no FC personnel were injured. The IED was planted on a motorcycle on the roadside and when the truck passed from there, it was triggered remotely, one police official said. Rabia Tariq, public relations officer for the Balochistan inspector general of police's office, also confirmed the incident. A statement from Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind condemned the blast as a cowardly act, adding that the government was committed to protecting the people and would thwart the plans of all elements against peace. The last three days have seen a sharp spike in attacks from the banned separatist group the
Pakistani security forces recovered at least eight out of 16 mine workers who were kidnapped by militants in the country's restive northwest Thursday morning, police and two security officials said. The operation was launched hours after insurgents ambushed and attacked the workers' vehicle in a narrow road in Lakki Marwat district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, police officer Mohammad Ijaz said. The attack occurred as the men were travelling from Lakki Marwat to a nearby mining project, Ijaz said. He gave no further details. Other security officials said the mining project where the men worked is related to the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, though the abducted workers are not its employees. They said an operation is still underway to recover the remaining workers. It was unclear whether those insurgents holding the men suffered casualties. No one from the commission was immediately available for comment. The latest development comes after militants se
Initially introduced by Biggs in January 2019, the bill has been reintroduced in every subsequent Congress but has not advanced legislatively in any attempt
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has threatened to target the Pakistani military's commercial interests, naming specific businesses, in response to last month's air strikes in Afghanistan