Security forces have rescued at least 155 hostages and killed 27 terrorists involved in the hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan’s Bolan district, vowing to continue the clearance operation until the last militant is neutralised.

The train, carrying 400 passengers in nine bogies, was en route from Quetta to Peshawar on Tuesday when an unknown number of terrorists took passengers hostage, security forces said.

Security sources said that forces were continuing the operation to rescue the remaining hostages. They said that terrorists, some of them wearing suicide jackets, were using passengers as human shields, security sources revealed.

Due to the presence of hostages, security forces are proceeding with extreme caution, the sources added.

One of the freed passengers thanked the forces for safely evacuating him from the hijacked train and acknowledged the efforts of the army and FC personnel in security operation.

“There was gunfire, but by the grace of Allah, the army and FC personnel brought us to safety,” said one of the rescued passengers.

Meanwhile, railway officials said that the Bolan Mail and Jaffar Express, operating from Quetta to other parts of the country, have been suspended for three days. The decision to suspend train services was taken following the attack on the Jaffar Express in Bolan, according to railway authorities.

Additionally, the passenger train from Quetta to Chaman has also not yet departed, railway officials stated.

Earlier, railway officials reported that 57 rescued passengers from the Jaffar Express were transported to Quetta in the early hours of Wednesday, while 23 remained in Machh.

After security forces launched the operation on Tuesday, the militants split into small groups, security sources said. Seventeen injured passengers were taken to a nearby hospital for urgent medical treatment.

Navigating the difficult terrain, security forces cordoned off the area upon receiving word of the attack, they said, adding that despite the challenging route, forces reached the scene in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district of Balochistan to initiate the operation.

Sources further revealed that the attackers were using satellite phones to communicate with international handlers, including a mastermind in Afghanistan, and were using women and children as human shields, forcing extreme caution in the operation.

The attackers bombed the railway track before storming the train and opened fire on the locomotive, injuring the driver. The train, stopped just before a tunnel, was hijacked in a remote, mountainous region near the Afghanistan-Iran border.

Emergency measures

The Balochistan government has imposed emergency measures, and all institutions have been mobilised to deal with the situation, spokesperson Shahid Rind said.

A relief train and contingents of security forces were also dispatched to the site.

Meanwhile, an emergency has been imposed in Sibi and Civil Hospital Quetta.

According to the provincial health department, all medical and paramedical staff have been summoned to Civil Hospital and several wards were vacated to deal with the situation.

Following the incident, an emergency information desk has been established at Quetta Railway Station.

A railway official was appointed to share relevant developments regarding the Jaffar Express incident.

Condemnations pour in

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express and praised the security forces for their effective and timely response.

The president lauded the valour of security forces for rescuing the passengers of Jaffar Express and said that attacks on innocent civilians and passengers were inhuman and condemnable acts.

The Baloch nation strongly opposed those elements who had taken unarmed passengers, elders and children as hostage, he added.

President Zardari said neither any religion nor a society allowed such repugnant acts. He also prayed for the early recovery of those who sustained injuries during the attack.

Meanwhile, the prime minister said that officers and personnel of the forces were eliminating terrorists with bravery during the ongoing response.

He added that despite difficult terrain, the morale of the security forces was high, and they were pushing back the cowardly terrorists with their timely action.

PM Shehbaz expressed the hope that the security operation would soon meet with success and the terrorists would be eliminated, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

He said that the inhuman terrorists who launched the cowardly assault at Jaffar Express at Dhdhar-Bolan Pass did not deserve any concession. Terrorists were the enemies of progress and development of Balochistan province.

The premier said targeting of innocent passengers in the holy and blessed month of Ramadan proved it clearly that terrorists had no relation with Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan.

He also expressed the resolve of continuation of fight against terrorism till complete eradication of this specter from the country.

Any conspiracy to spread chaos and lawlessness in the country would be foiled, he said, adding that they would never allow enemies of the country to succeed in their nefarious designs.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack and prayed for the early recovery of the injured people. He added: “Beasts who opened fire on innocent passengers deserve no leniency.”

“Terrorists are the biggest threat to Pakistan,” said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while condemning the attack on the passenger train.

“Targeting innocent citizens by terrorists is a coward act,” he added.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur also condemned the Jaffar Express incident and expressed concern for the safety of the train passengers taken hostage in Balochistan. He expressed wishes for their safe recovery.

Awami National Party (ANP) President Aimal Wali Khan said that attacks on innocent citizens are unacceptable and demanded strict action against the terrorists.

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.

The data revealed 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 sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.

Balochistan also experienced a surge in militant activity, with at least 24 attacks, which claimed 26 lives, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and nine militants.