Quetta, May 24 (IANS). On Sunday, a suicide attack targeting a shuttle of Jafar Express took place on the railway track in Balochistan, Pakistan, in which several people were reported killed. Local media reported that the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the blast.
In a statement, BLA spokesperson Jayand Baloch said that BLA’s suicide unit Majeed Brigade carried out the attack. Balochistan Post quoted the statement as saying that army soldiers traveling by train were targeted in the attack.
On the occasion of Eid, a shuttle with three bogies attached to Jafar Express, which was carrying Pakistani Army soldiers from Quetta Cantt to Quetta Railway Station, was targeted in this attack.
According to Pakistan’s Federal Railway Minister Hanif Abbasi, the blast occurred near Chaman Gate, when the train was on its route after leaving Quetta Cantt. He said that three coaches including the engine derailed, while two bogies completely overturned.
“27 people were killed and 131 injured in the attack. The death toll may rise as some of the injured are in critical condition,” the report said. The BLA also issued another statement revealing the identity of the attacker.
According to the statement, the attack was carried out by 25-year-old Bilal Shahwani alias Sain, who was a member and commander of the Majeed Brigade’s suicide unit.
He was a resident of Sariab area of Shaal area. The statement said he had joined the Baloch Resistance Movement for Independence in 2020. Let us tell you, ‘Baloch Resistance Movement for Independence’ is a long and armed struggle to make Pakistan-occupied Balochistan a sovereign nation.
BLA spokesperson claimed that the targeting of army personnel traveling in Jafar Express from Quetta Cantt is a proof of the deep reach of the organization’s intelligence wing ‘Zarab’ and the operational capability of Commander Bilal Shahwani.
The spokesperson said that this decision shows that the Baloch National Resistance has now moved beyond the traditional guerrilla method and transformed into a modern military structure. Here organizational commanders give priority to collective national goals rather than individual material roles.
–IANS
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