The Jaffar Express, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, was once again targeted in an armed assault in the Bolan Pass area of Balochistan’s Kachhi district on Monday, marking the sixth incident in merely six weeks along the volatile Quetta–Sibi railway section. According to reports from Dawn and ANI, the attack occurred near Mach station as the train passed close to Aab-i-Gum, a known flashpoint for recent ambushes.

Railway officials stated that unidentified gunmen opened fire from elevated terrain, prompting onboard security personnel, including members of the Railways Police, to retaliate immediately. The brief firefight forced the attackers to retreat into the surrounding mountain slopes. Fortunately, no passengers were harmed, and no damage to the bogies was reported.

After a short halt for inspection and clearance, the Jaffar Express resumed its journey northwards under tightened security supervision. Authorities have since reinforced patrols and surveillance along the vulnerable stretches of track between Quetta and Sibi to deter further attacks.

The latest incident fits a worrying pattern of escalating violence targeting railway infrastructure across Balochistan. Just last week, a blast damaged the Quetta–Jacobabad line, temporarily halting traffic.

On 16 November, the same train narrowly avoided another bombing in Nasirabad district when an explosive device planted on the track detonated shortly after the train had passed the Shaheed Abdul Aziz Bullo area. No casualties were reported in that case either, though a section of the track was damaged, forcing a four-day suspension of services before operations resumed.

The repeated assaults highlight how Pakistan’s vital transport arteries have increasingly come under threat from insurgent groups operating in the restive province. The Jaffar Express, in particular, has borne the brunt of this violence since 11 March, when Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants ambushed the train carrying over 400 passengers.

The Pakistan Army later confirmed through Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) that a clearance operation was completed the next day, killing all 33 attackers. Despite the operation, however, such attacks have continued unabated.

Subsequent months have witnessed a series of explosive and rocket strikes. On 18 June, a remote-controlled device derailed four bogies near Jacobabad — an attack claimed by the banned Baloch Republican Guards. On 7 August, an attempted bombing near Sibi was thwarted, followed just three days later by a successful blast in Mastung that derailed six bogies. Officials from the Quetta division of Pakistan Railways confirmed the explosion was caused by a track-mounted device.

The chain of assaults persisted into September and October, demonstrating the insurgents’ sustained capability to disrupt civilian transport. On 23 September, four passengers were injured when multiple bogies of the train derailed again in Mastung. Barely two weeks later, on 7 October, seven people were hurt following another explosion on the tracks in Shikarpur district, Sindh. In the latest major episode before the Bolan Pass attack, unidentified gunmen launched a rocket strike on 29 October in Nasirabad’s Notal area, firing four projectiles that fortunately missed their target.

Security analysts note that the frequency and geographic spread of these assaults indicate a deliberate strategy to undermine confidence in state control and cripple regional commerce. The targeting of passenger trains, especially one as symbolic as the Jaffar Express, underscores the insurgency’s intent to disrupt normal life and project vulnerability in Balochistan’s internal security apparatus.

Authorities in Quetta and Nasirabad have launched fresh search operations along railway corridors, with paramilitary support to track down the culprits. However, officials privately admit that the mountainous terrain, sparse settlements, and limited surveillance infrastructure complicate such operations.

The Jaffar Express, symbolic of Pakistan’s connectivity between Balochistan and the broader federation, continues to operate under heavy guard. Yet the series of assaults since early 2025 demonstrates the fragility of transport security and the growing threat insurgent groups pose to national integration and infrastructure resilience in the country’s southwest.

Based On ANI Report