Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday called for national unity and dialogue against the menace of terrorism in the country following the hijacking of a Jaffar Express train in Balochistan’s Bolan district.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon when the train, travelling from Quetta to Peshawar and carrying 440 passengers, was ambushed by terrorists of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorist group. They opened fire on the train and held the passengers hostage, prompting the security forces to initiate an operation that lasted two days.
On Wednesday evening, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that the operation had been concluded, with 33 terrorists present at the site of the attack neutralised. The ISPR chief also confirmed that 21 passengers and four Frontier Corps personnel lost their lives in the hijacking, but no hostages were harmed during the final rescue phase.
PM Shehbaz arrived in Quetta on a one-day visit earlier today in tow with federal ministers and other officials, chairing a high-level meeting to review the security situation.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, the premier said, “The officials have gathered at a time when the entire nation is mourning the attack.”
PM Shehbaz called for Pakistan’s entire political leadership to sit down together with the military leadership to discuss the challenges that the country was facing.
“One challenge, in my view, is that there should have been complete unity on this [incident], but unfortunately, there is a gap.”
He emphasised the need to achieve consensus and vowed to provide the security forces with the resources needed to fight terrorism.
“National unity and solidarity are needed more than ever. We will continue our politics, but on the crucial issue of saving the country from terrorism, we must stand as one.”
The premier said he would call a meeting for consultation to decide the next course of action.
Lashing out at the terrorists, he said they didn’t even care about the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan and made innocent citizens hostage while martyring some of them. “Such an incident has maybe never happened before in Pakistan’s history,” he said.
The prime minister said the subsequent plan of action by the security forces aimed at saving the lives of the hostages and eliminating the terrorists. He added that 339 passengers were rescued while 33 terrorists were “sent to hell”.
The premier said that the government might have saved the lives of its citizens in the recent incident, but the nation could not afford to experience a similar event again.
“For that, we must all play our role,” referring to the federal and all provincial authorities. The prime minister asserted that the entire country could not prosper and develop if Balochistan’s pace of development did not catch up to the other provinces.
“Peace can’t be established in Pakistan until terrorism is completely eliminated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.”
The prime minister criticised the PTI government for its measure to resettle fighters of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in the country after an agreement with the group, saying the move was to blame for the rise of terrorism again.
PM Shehbaz lauded the security forces for their role and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, criticising a certain “segment” in the country for its “poisonous” rhetoric amid the situation.
He maintained that a similar narrative was adopted and disseminated by the Indian media.
The premier said there could be no greater act of enmity against the state than to make fun of and mock the same security forces and personnel who were rendering sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.
“No one can be given the licence to spread poisonous propaganda against our soldiers who go to the borders and sacrifice their lives. This is not acceptable, this will not be tolerated and these sacrifices will not go to waste.
“Pakistan’s peace and prosperity are linked to it. There will be no prosperity without peace,” the premier asserted.
Shehbaz warned that there was a threat to Pakistan’s existence if the menace of terrorism was not wiped out from the country.
Earlier today, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, while addressing the lower house of the parliament, had assailed the PTI for “politicising” the recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express train and misinterpreting the situation on social media.
Asif noted that the “entire world stood with Pakistan” except the PTI.
“I have told you how they are interpreting the Jaffar Express [incident]. They are making it a topic of politics when it is a moment of concern for the 250 million people of Pakistan,” Asif said.
“What’s more upsetting is the way PTI’s social media interpreted the situation,” he said.
