Train services to and from Quetta remain suspended

ISLAMABAD: Rail operations to and from Quetta, as well as in parts of Balochistan, remained suspended on Friday for a second consecutive day, with railway officials saying the disruption was due to unavoidable circumstances.

Officials said the Jaffar Express scheduled to travel from Quetta to Peshawar would not leave on Friday. They added that the return service from Peshawar to Quetta would be turned back from Jacobabad.

Railway authorities said train services across Balochistan had been suspended for the last two days. They also said the Bolan Mail and Chaman Passenger services bound for Karachi had already been halted.

Delays reported in Karachi

Several trains departing from Karachi were also delayed, according to railway police. The Tezgam left at 1:30am instead of its scheduled 5:30pm departure time, leading passengers to stage a protest at Cantt Station.

Railway police further said the Sukkur Express, which was due to depart at 11:30pm, had still not left by Friday morning.

Blast near Quetta railway track

The disruption follows a blast near the railway track close to Chaman Phatak in Quetta on May 24. Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind had said at least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps personnel, were martyred and several others were injured in the explosion.

According to the spokesperson, women and children were also among the injured and were shifted to hospitals for treatment.

Army chief’s remarks

Separately, the Inter-Services Public Relations said Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir visited Zhob district in Balochistan on Wednesday to celebrate Eid ul Adha with frontline troops deployed along the western frontiers.

In a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the field marshal referred to the recent attack in Quetta and said it had been orchestrated by Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Hindustan and its proxies. The statement said he maintained that such attacks would not weaken the resolve of the armed forces or the nation.

According to ISPR, he said the morale of troops and the public remained firm and reiterated that the armed forces, working closely with law enforcement agencies and the people of Balochistan, would continue pursuing facilitators, abettors and perpetrators of terrorism with full force.