&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Jaffar Express attacked for 7th time: Explosion derails 6 coaches, Baloch Republican Guards claim responsibility")
An explosion struck the Jaffar Express the Jaffar Express near Sultan Kot, between Shikarpur and Jacobabad, close to the Sindh–Balochistan border on Tuesday (Oct 7), derailing as many as six coaches of the Quetta-bound passenger train. The Baloch Republican Guards (BRG) claimed responsibility for the remote-controlled IED attack. The explosion targeted Pakistani Army personnel aboard. BRG stated such attacks will continue until Balochistan gains independence. Authorities confirmed that 270 people were on board the train at the time of the incident. This marks the second explosion in the same vicinity within just 10 hours, underscoring a troubling surge in attacks on Pakistan’s railway infrastructure.
Security personnel and local police swiftly responded to the blast site, promptly moving the injured to a nearby medical facility. Rail operations on the affected section have been halted and will remain suspended until repairs are made and the area is declared safe. Officials believe an IED was planted on the railway track in the Spizend area, causing serious damage as the Quetta-bound train passed over it.
Earlier on Sep 23, similar explosion struck the Jaffar Express. The explosion hit its track in Mastung’s Dasht area of Balochistan, overturning multiple coaches. In March 2025, terrorists hijacked the Jaffar Express in Balochistan’s Bolan district, killing 21 passengers before security forces launched a clearance operation. The attackers detonated explosives and used hostages, including women and children, as human shields.
The mastermind, Gul Rahman alias Ustad Mureed of the BLA’s Majeed Brigade, was reportedly killed in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in September. Pakistan claims his death reinforces its assertions of terrorist safe havens across the Afghan border and India's support for Baloch insurgents, referring to them as "Fitna al-Hindustan."
