Tazeen Akhtar
In case of Train Hijack in Dhdhar-Bolan Pass, Balochistan, finally, the Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi surfaced with some specific information from gov’s side. He, on the next date, late night, between Tuesday and Wednesday, He said, 100 passengers of Jaffar Express has been rescued while security forces have killed more than 16 terrorists.
Notably, the spokesperson office of Pakistani Forces, ISPR has not shared any statement in this regard. Even the interior minister did not share the complete picture of the scene on the spot. He did not clarified that what is the latest about the other passengers, the operation ended or continued and approximately how many terrorists are still fighting there.
Interior Minister has not denied the claim made by BLA about killing 06 soldiers.
Some questions have been responded by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif . In his statement, the PM said that security forces officers and personnel were eliminating terrorists with bravely and professional capabilities during the ongoing response.
He said despite difficult terrain, the morale of the security forces was high and they were pushing back the coward terrorists with their timely action. The prime minister expressed the hope that the security operation would soon meet with success and the terrorists would be eliminated.
President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned a terrorist attack on Jaffar Express in Balochistan province and praised the security forces for their effective and timely response. His party PPP is ruling Balochistan. The CM of the province, Sarfraz Bugti has served as interior minister Balochistan during 2013 to 2018 and federal interior minister in PDM gov of PPP and PMLN after the ouster of the then PM Imran Khan in April 2022.
Federal Interior Minister and CM Balochistan are looking after everything at the terrorist hit site. The operation against the terrorists is continued. There is no further information shared by any quarter from gov or military side.
Conflicting figures have been shared by different sources, about how many passengers were in the train. The number varies from 400, 450 to 500. No one knows about the status of remaining passengers than the rescued 100. It means they are still in the train hostage by the terrorists.
There are currently no reports of the militants fleeing, but reports suggest that they have taken the passengers hostage and are occupying the train, with intermittent gunfire in the area.
Railway police have confirmed the incident and stated that the train has been stopped, with at least 500 passengers on board. Several passengers have been reported injured, but verification is still ongoing.
According to the DS Railway’s PRO, emergency measures have been implemented in all hospitals, and ambulances have been dispatched from Sibi to the scene.
Security forces have surrounded the area in the Muchh mountains, and additional convoys have been sent.
Newly appointed Minister State for Interior Talal Chaudhary said , there are some gov officials and their families. Earlier BLA stated that 100 hostages belong to security forces.
Pakistan military is using helicopters, drones and SSG commandos in operation. The terrorists took many hostages to the mountains. The fate of these unfortunate hostages is not know. The morning of 12 March will bring further information.
