- Quetta train services were suspended for another day on Balochistan routes.
- Jaffar Express stopped, return service diverted via Jacobabad.
- Tezgam delay sparks protests as Sukkur Express remains blocked.
Train services to and from Quetta and across parts of Balochistan remained suspended for another day on Friday, railway officials said, citing “unavoidable circumstances” for the disruption.
They said the Jaffar Express from Quetta to Peshawar would not depart today, while the return service from Peshawar to Quetta would be postponed from Jacobabad.
Railway authorities added that train operations across Balochistan remained suspended for the last two days, while Bolan Mail and Chaman Passenger services to Karachi were already disrupted.
Meanwhile, several trains departing from Karachi were also delayed. According to the railway police, the Tezgam left at 1:30 am instead of 5:30 pm as scheduled, prompting passengers to protest at Cantt station.
The railway police further said that the Sukkur Express, scheduled to depart at 11:30 p.m., had still not left on Friday morning.
It is noteworthy that at least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were killed and several others injured in an explosion near the railway track near Chaman Phatak in Quetta on May 24, Balochistan government spokesperson said.
Several women and children were also injured in the explosion and were transferred to hospitals for medical treatment.
After the blast, Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir stressed that terrorist attacks could not weaken the resolve of the Pakistani nation and vowed to crush terrorism with all its might.
A statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations said that CDF Munir visited Zhob district of Balochistan on Wednesday to celebrate Eid ul Adha with the frontline troops deployed along the western borders.
Referring to the recent cowardly terrorist incident in Quetta, orchestrated by the Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Hindustan and its proxies, the Marshal reiterated that such inhumane and brutal acts cannot weaken the resolve of the Pakistani armed forces or the nation.
CDF Munir stressed that the morale and determination of the troops and people of Pakistan remained unwavering. He reiterated that the armed forces, in close coordination with the law enforcement agencies and people of Balochistan, would continue to pursue all facilitators, accomplices and perpetrators of terrorism with full force.
