DEAR MURAD JAMALI: Train services between Quetta and other parts of the country were suspended on Tuesday after a bomb blast damaged a section of the railway track near Dera Murad Jamali in Balochistan, officials said.
Read More: Security forces foil Jaffar Express sabotage attempt
Police said unknown miscreants had planted an improvised explosive device (IED) on the main railway track near the Notal area of Nasirabad district. The device exploded before the Quetta-bound Jaffar Express, travelling from Peshawar, reached the site, narrowly averting a major tragedy.
According to a senior police officer, around four feet of the railway track was blown up in the powerful explosion. During a subsequent search of the area, security personnel discovered another IED weighing approximately 10 kilogrammes at a short distance from the first blast. The second device was successfully defused by the bomb disposal squad.
Following the incident, railway authorities stopped the Jaffar Express at Dera Murad Jamali and suspended all train operations between Quetta and other provinces until repair work on the damaged track is completed. Officials said restoration would begin once the area is declared fully secure.
A heavy contingent of police, Frontier Corps personnel and security agencies rushed to the site, cordoned off the affected area and launched a search operation to trace those responsible for the attack. Investigators said evidence was being collected to determine the nature of the explosives used.
Police officials revealed that the Jaffar Express has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks, with around a dozen attempted attacks reported over the past two months, highlighting growing security concerns along the railway route.
In a separate incident, a landmine blast in the Lanjo Saghari area of Dera Bugti district killed three goats and injured five others. Police said the explosive device had been planted underground for sabotage purposes, adding that further investigations into the incident were under way.