Baloch Guards Claim Responsibility For Attack On Pak Train Jaffar Express

This is the same train that made headlines earlier this year after it was hijacked by Baloch insurgents. Monday’s attack marks the third such incident in the region in a single calendar year, an indication of the waning influence of the Pakistani Army in parts of Balochistan and Sindh.

In a major blow to Pakistan’s internal security apparatus, the Jaffar Express was once again targeted around 10.30 am near Sultan Kot, close to Shikarpur in Sindh province, using a powerful improvised explosive device (IED).

The train, travelling from Rawalpindi to Quetta, derailed after three of its coaches were thrown off the tracks due to the explosion. This marks the third major attack on the Jaffar Express in 2025, following a hostage crisis earlier this year in which armed Baloch fighters stormed the train, held passengers at gunpoint, and used the event to send a direct message to the Pakistani state.

The latest strike has been claimed by the Baloch Republican Guards, whose spokesperson Doostain Baloch stated that the train was specifically targeted due to the presence of Pakistani Army personnel on board.

Counter-terrorism expert Dr Rituraj Mate commented, “Yet another hit on the Jaffar Express signals a deepening crisis for the Pakistan Army in Balochistan. The nature, timing, and audacity of the attack leave no doubt that it was a calculated strike intended to challenge the military’s movement and legitimacy in the Baloch region.”

Dr Mate further noted, “These back-to-back attacks reveal more than lapses in security, they expose the crumbling control of the Pakistan Army over vast parts of Balochistan, where insurgent groups are not only surviving but executing coordinated, high-impact operations with increasing frequency.”

He added, “With the Pakistani military facing rising dissent, operational fatigue, and loss of both strategic and symbolic ground, Islamabad’s continued denial and reliance on brute force against ultra-nationalist groups are likely to deepen civil-military conflict. The Jaffar Express may not be the last train to bear the cost of a collapsing state.”

While Pakistan Railways confirmed the derailment and explosion, it has not commented on the presence of army personnel aboard the train. However, independent sources suggest that multiple security personnel were indeed onboard, returning to Quetta after duty in the northern sector.

Originally designed to connect the strategic corridor between Punjab and Balochistan, the Jaffar Express has now become a symbol of resistance and vulnerability.

The fact that this is the third successful attack on the same train within a single year, including a full-fledged hostage situation, is seen as a serious indicator of the military’s eroding deterrence and deteriorating public perception.

Experts warn that the increasing militarisation of civilian infrastructure, turning regular passenger trains into soft targets, signals a broader low-intensity conflict gripping the region.

The ongoing deterioration of Pakistan’s internal security, especially in Balochistan, points to Islamabad’s failing federal cohesion, its overreliance on military suppression, and its inability to engage in meaningful political reconciliation, observers said.

They further cautioned that the consequences of these patterns could soon manifest in greater instability, proxy escalations, and regional insecurity. More importantly, they noted, these developments reinforce the growing view within strategic circles that Pakistan’s internal fragmentation is no longer hypothetical, it is unfolding in real time.