India sponsoring terrorism in Balochistan: DG ISPR

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated on Friday that India was responsible for sponsoring terrorism in Balochistan, as he provided details on the recent Jaffar Express attack.

The attack began on Tuesday afternoon when terrorists from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed the Quetta-Peshawar train carrying 440 passengers.

Armed assailants opened fire and took hostages, prompting a military-led operation that lasted two days.

The operation concluded on Wednesday evening with security forces neutralizing all 33 attackers.

Lt Gen Chaudhry confirmed that no hostages were harmed during the final rescue phase.

Speaking at a press conference, Lt Gen Chaudhry stated, “The weapons recovered from the terrorists indicate foreign involvement, particularly from our eastern neighbor.” He further claimed that Indian and Afghan weapons had been used in previous attacks as well.

Providing an updated casualty count, Lt Gen Chaudhry said that 26 passengers had lost their lives, revising an earlier figure of 21. Meanwhile, 354 passengers were safely identified and rescued.

Addressing the broader security situation, he highlighted that “Pakistan’s intelligence and security forces have conducted 59,775 intelligence-based operations in 2024 and 11,654 so far in 2025.” He added that the country was averaging 180 such operations daily.

Discussing counterterrorism efforts, Lt Gen Chaudhry said, “More than 1,250 terrorists have been neutralized in the past two years, while 563 security personnel have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.”

Taking over the press conference, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack, asserting that “This was a targeted assault on unarmed civilians, carried out with the support of foreign agencies.” He accused hostile intelligence agencies, including India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), of using Afghan territory to destabilize Pakistan.

CM Bugti criticized past policies, stating, “A lenient approach by previous governments enabled terrorist groups to regain strength. We must ensure this mistake is not repeated.” He assured that Pakistan’s security forces were fully capable of eliminating the threat, emphasizing that “The state will not tolerate terrorism in any form.”