‘Face to face with death’: Jaffar Express survivors recall two days of horror
Survivors recall terrorists were armed with heavy weapons, grouped passengers on the basis of their region of origin.
Published March 13, 2025
DAWN
In the dead of the night, Muhammad Numan saw a chance. The three armed men guarding his bogie were in a deep sleep. Quickly, he put together an escape plan. “It’s a gamble of life and death … it is now or never,” he convinced fellow passengers.
And so the 30-year-old, along with over a dozen others aboard the Jaffar Express, snuck outside the train and into the wilderness of the surrounding mountains. Behind them, they could hear the commotion. Shots rang out in all directions. But they didn’t look back. “We walked for four hours and stopped only when we reached a Frontier Corps checkpoint,” said Numan.
On March 11, terrorists affiliated with the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) attacked the Jaffar Express near the Mashkaf Tunnel, about 157 kilometres from Quetta, and took around 440 passengers hostage. The hijacking was a first-of-its-kind — while terrorists have bombed train tracks and attempted to derail trains before, they have never attempted to take an entire train and its occupants hostage.
Subsequently, the military began a recovery operation which culminated last night. In a press release, the military’s media wing said all the hostages had been rescued while 33 terrorists involved in the attack were killed.
According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the operation was conducted by the army, air force, FC and the Special Services Group. He added that 21 passengers were killed before the clearance operation began while four FC personnel were martyred.
Face to face with death
Numan was among the fortunate passengers who came out unharmed from the hijacking. But most of his friends did not. “About 20 of us were working in Afghanistan for the past several months and decided to return home [to Gujranwala and Lahore] for a few weeks,” he told Dawn.com.
Unfortunately, only three of them remained alive — others have either been killed or remain missing. Some of them were even murdered in front of Numan’s eyes. “After the train jolted to a stop, firing ensued. The terrorists then entered the bogies and began checking everyone’s identity cards.”
“They threatened to kill us all if the government refused to fulfil their demands,” he recalled. “They [the terrorists] were a big group, they had even taken positions in the mountains.”
Plain clothes security force personnel, who were rescued from a train after it was attacked by terrorists, leave Mach railway station in Mach, Balochistan, Pakistan. — ReutersMuhammad Naveed, another passenger who managed to escape, said the terrorists asked them to come out of the train one by one. “They separated women and asked them to leave. They also spared elders.
“They asked us to come outside, saying we will not be harmed. When around 185 people came outside, they chose people and shot them down.”
Arslan Yousaf, one of the passengers who was escorted by security forces, recalled that the terrorists were armed with rocket launchers, guns, and other weapons. They grouped the passengers on the basis of their region of origin, he said.
“Sometimes, they took soldiers … and executed them,” he said, referring to passengers from the Pakistan Army and other security forces who were travelling on the train. “Other times, they targeted specific individuals. If they had a grudge against someone, they shot him on the spot.”
‘God saved me’
Muhammad Ashraf, 75, who was travelling to Lahore on the Jaffar Express, told Dawn.com that all the passengers were in a state of panic. “Some of us lay on the floor face down.”
“They killed at least 10 people within one hour which included three Railway Police personnel and as many police commandos. Their weapons were taken away by the terrorists,” he recalled. Ashraf added that he was only allowed to go due to his old age.
“I left on foot and reached the Paneer station after three hours after which FC personnel took me and other passengers to Mach in a relief train,” he said. They returned to Quetta last night.
“I saw qiyamat and death very closely but it was God who saved me and many other passengers despite the fact that they wanted to kill everyone,” Ashraf added.
Train passengers board a bus after being freed by armed terrorists who ambushed the train in the remote mountainous area of southwestern Balochistan province, in Mach, on March 13, 2025. — AFP
Babar Masih, a 38-year-old Christian labourer, underwent a similar experience. He and his family walked for hours through rugged mountains to reach a train that could take them to a makeshift hospital on a railway platform.
“Our women pleaded with them and they spared us,” he said. “They told us to get out and not look back. As we ran, I noticed many others running alongside us.”
The long wait
At the Quetta railway station last night, the platforms were crowded with family members eagerly waiting for their loved ones. All the rescued hostages were being brought back.
Abdul Rauf, 30, was among those waiting. His eyes were darting from the tracks to the freight trains, searching for a familiar face. He had spent the last two days at the station. “I bid farewell to my father on Tuesday … he was going to Multan to attend the funeral of a nephew,” he said.
Babar Masih, a 38-year-old Christian labourer, underwent a similar experience. He and his family walked for hours through rugged mountains to reach a train that could take them to a makeshift hospital on a railway platform.
“Our women pleaded with them and they spared us,” he said. “They told us to get out and not look back. As we ran, I noticed many others running alongside us.”
The long wait
At the Quetta railway station last night, the platforms were crowded with family members eagerly waiting for their loved ones. All the rescued hostages were being brought back.
Abdul Rauf, 30, was among those waiting. His eyes were darting from the tracks to the freight trains, searching for a familiar face. He had spent the last two days at the station. “I bid farewell to my father on Tuesday … he was going to Multan to attend the funeral of a nephew,” he said.
People wait at the Quetta railway station. — Reuters
“In the last few hours, I have asked everyone about my father but didn’t get any information despite the passage of 36 hours,” he said, adding that his father was not on the list of passengers who were to return that night.
“Where are the authorities? Who will listen to the aggrieved families waiting for information on the whereabouts of their beloved,” he lamented. “We have served all our lives for this country, why is this happening to us?”
Additional input from AFP and Reuters
Header image: Train passengers sit in a bus after being freed by armed terrorists who ambushed the train in the remote mountainous area of southwestern Balochistan province, in Mach, on March 13, 2025. — AFP
“In the last few hours, I have asked everyone about my father but didn’t get any information despite the passage of 36 hours,” he said, adding that his father was not on the list of passengers who were to return that night.
“Where are the authorities? Who will listen to the aggrieved families waiting for information on the whereabouts of their beloved,” he lamented. “We have served all our lives for this country, why is this happening to us?”
Additional input from AFP and Reuters
Header image: Train passengers sit in a bus after being freed by armed terrorists who ambushed the train in the remote mountainous area of southwestern Balochistan province, in Mach, on March 13, 2025. — AFP
Balochistan standoff ends after all Jaffar Express hostages rescued
Syed Irfan Raza | Saleem Shahid
Syed Irfan Raza | Saleem Shahid
Published March 13, 2025
Security personnel and volunteers help to transport an injured train passenger following an operation against terrorists who ambushed the train in the remote mountainous area in Mach, Balochistan on March 12, 2025. — AFP
• Military spokesperson says 33 terrorists killed; four FC men martyred; clearance operation underway
• Says snipers took out suicide bombers guarding hostages, who then fled to safety
• Claims terrorists were in touch with ‘handlers in Afghanistan’ via satellite phones
• ISPR chief, information minister flay misinformation on social media, Indian media’s propaganda
ISLAMABAD / QUETTA: After a dramatic showdown with terrorists who had hijacked the Jaffar Express and taken hundreds of passengers hostage, the military announced the conclusion of its rescue operation on Wednesday night.
In separate statements, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Information Minister Atta Tarar announced the successful completion of the operation and the recovery of all hostages.
In his remarks, Lt Gen Sharif said that all remaining passengers had been rescued and the train — stranded near the Mashkaf Tunnel in the Bolan range — had been cleared of insurgents, with 33 terrorists killed.
Although he noted that there were around 440 passengers on board the train, he did not specify the total number of hostages that had been rescued.
However, a senior security official told Dawn that the rescue was carried out in phases. Just over a hundred were freed in the first phase, and 80 more hostages were shifted to Mach after being rescued in the second phase.
Around a dozen passengers, including two railway policemen, also managed to escape their captors and made it safely back to Quetta.
In all, 21 passengers lost their lives, while four FC personnel were martyred, the ISPR DG said.
Speaking to Dunya News, the ISPR chief said that army, air force, Frontier Corps and SSG personnel had taken part in the operation.
He said the area where the incident took place was quite difficult to access, being located far from road networks and settlements.
“The terrorists used hostages, including women and children, as human shields,” he added.
A group of armed men was patrolling the train and its surrounding areas, keeping an eye on the large numbers of passengers in their custody.
SSG commandos acted carefully to save the lives of hostages, and managed to free around 68 hostages after neutralising the remaining terrorists in a gun battle, a senior security official told Dawn, adding that almost all operations had been completed and forces were now in the clearance phase.
“These terrorists were in contact with their supporters and masterminds in Afghanistan during the operation via satellite phone,” Lt Gen Sharif said.
“This incident changes the rules of the game, because these terrorists have no link to Balochistan or religion,” he said.
Drone footage
Lt Gen Sharif said the army, air force, Frontier Corps and SSG personnel had taken part and recovered the hostages.
ISPR also released black-and-white drone footage of the location where the train was stranded, showing the area where the operation was conducted.
In the footage, three separate groups of people can be seen huddled together by the side of the train.
View this post on Instagram
Giving details, the ISPR chief said that the hostages had been off-loaded from the train and were sitting in separate groups — guarded by suicide bombers — making rescue efforts quite tricky.
Snipers took out the bombers, he said, allowing the hostages to escape to safety. He added that none of the hostages were harmed during the operation.
The passengers who had fled to the surrounding areas during the operation are also being rounded up, he said.
Bogie-to-bogie clearance of the train and the surrounding was being carried out by bomb disposal and other personnel, as per standard operating procedures, Lt Gen Sharif said.
‘Misinformation’
Criticising the flow of misinformation online and on social media amid the incident, particularly from India, Lt Gen Sharif said that this openly displayed the “nexus between the terrorists and their masters to the whole world.”
“Interestingly, some specific political elements in Pakistan also partake in such activities enthusiastically and activate their social media [teams], and instead of standing with the state, they can be seen creating baseless justifications and reasons for this horrible terrorist act,” he said.
“Sadly, some elements are sacrificing the national interest due to their lust for political power,” he said.
In his remarks, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also condemned what he termed “propaganda spread by the Indian media”.
He criticized the Indian media for distorting facts and pushing a pre-planned narrative to mislead the public, and — without naming anyone — lashed out at people exploiting the unfortunate incident for their own agendas instead of prioritising Pakistan’s national interest, an apparent reference to the opposition PTI.
He said the language of some opposition leaders was the same as that used by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Indian media.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025
• Military spokesperson says 33 terrorists killed; four FC men martyred; clearance operation underway
• Says snipers took out suicide bombers guarding hostages, who then fled to safety
• Claims terrorists were in touch with ‘handlers in Afghanistan’ via satellite phones
• ISPR chief, information minister flay misinformation on social media, Indian media’s propaganda
ISLAMABAD / QUETTA: After a dramatic showdown with terrorists who had hijacked the Jaffar Express and taken hundreds of passengers hostage, the military announced the conclusion of its rescue operation on Wednesday night.
In separate statements, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Information Minister Atta Tarar announced the successful completion of the operation and the recovery of all hostages.
In his remarks, Lt Gen Sharif said that all remaining passengers had been rescued and the train — stranded near the Mashkaf Tunnel in the Bolan range — had been cleared of insurgents, with 33 terrorists killed.
Although he noted that there were around 440 passengers on board the train, he did not specify the total number of hostages that had been rescued.
However, a senior security official told Dawn that the rescue was carried out in phases. Just over a hundred were freed in the first phase, and 80 more hostages were shifted to Mach after being rescued in the second phase.
Around a dozen passengers, including two railway policemen, also managed to escape their captors and made it safely back to Quetta.
In all, 21 passengers lost their lives, while four FC personnel were martyred, the ISPR DG said.
Speaking to Dunya News, the ISPR chief said that army, air force, Frontier Corps and SSG personnel had taken part in the operation.
He said the area where the incident took place was quite difficult to access, being located far from road networks and settlements.
“The terrorists used hostages, including women and children, as human shields,” he added.
A group of armed men was patrolling the train and its surrounding areas, keeping an eye on the large numbers of passengers in their custody.
SSG commandos acted carefully to save the lives of hostages, and managed to free around 68 hostages after neutralising the remaining terrorists in a gun battle, a senior security official told Dawn, adding that almost all operations had been completed and forces were now in the clearance phase.
“These terrorists were in contact with their supporters and masterminds in Afghanistan during the operation via satellite phone,” Lt Gen Sharif said.
“This incident changes the rules of the game, because these terrorists have no link to Balochistan or religion,” he said.
Drone footage
Lt Gen Sharif said the army, air force, Frontier Corps and SSG personnel had taken part and recovered the hostages.
ISPR also released black-and-white drone footage of the location where the train was stranded, showing the area where the operation was conducted.
In the footage, three separate groups of people can be seen huddled together by the side of the train.
View this post on Instagram
Giving details, the ISPR chief said that the hostages had been off-loaded from the train and were sitting in separate groups — guarded by suicide bombers — making rescue efforts quite tricky.
Snipers took out the bombers, he said, allowing the hostages to escape to safety. He added that none of the hostages were harmed during the operation.
The passengers who had fled to the surrounding areas during the operation are also being rounded up, he said.
Bogie-to-bogie clearance of the train and the surrounding was being carried out by bomb disposal and other personnel, as per standard operating procedures, Lt Gen Sharif said.
‘Misinformation’
Criticising the flow of misinformation online and on social media amid the incident, particularly from India, Lt Gen Sharif said that this openly displayed the “nexus between the terrorists and their masters to the whole world.”
“Interestingly, some specific political elements in Pakistan also partake in such activities enthusiastically and activate their social media [teams], and instead of standing with the state, they can be seen creating baseless justifications and reasons for this horrible terrorist act,” he said.
“Sadly, some elements are sacrificing the national interest due to their lust for political power,” he said.
In his remarks, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also condemned what he termed “propaganda spread by the Indian media”.
He criticized the Indian media for distorting facts and pushing a pre-planned narrative to mislead the public, and — without naming anyone — lashed out at people exploiting the unfortunate incident for their own agendas instead of prioritising Pakistan’s national interest, an apparent reference to the opposition PTI.
He said the language of some opposition leaders was the same as that used by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Indian media.
Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2025
No comments:
Post a Comment