Pakistan blames India in Jaffar Express hijacking; MEA refutes allegations

Islamabad/New Delhi: The Pakistan Army has again blamed India for the recent hijacking of Jaffar Express, while New Delhi has vehemently denied these allegations. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry in a press conference alleged that India is the “main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan” – an allegation that Pakistan has raised several times in the past without any concrete evidence.

The deadly attack on Jaffar Express was carried out on Tuesday when Baloch separatist militants attacked the train while it was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar. The militants detonated an IED on the rail track and fired rockets at the train carrying 440 passengers. The attack resulted in a deadly standoff in which 21 hostages and four security officials were killed.

Pakistan Army blames India

Addressing a press conference, Lt Gen Chaudhry, while explaining the attack, said that the terrorists had chosen a remote area for the ambush so that it would be difficult to rescue them. He said that before attacking the train, the terrorists ambushed a Frontier Corps (FC) checkpoint and killed three soldiers.

ALSO READ: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Accuses Vladimir Putin of Manipulating Ceasefire Proposal

“They advanced in groups and positioned themselves on high ground. Once they planted the IED, which derailed the train, they took the people hostage,” Chaudhry said.

The ISPR chief also claimed that the attackers had used Indian and Afghan-made weapons in this attack, as was done in earlier attacks in Balochistan. He called India the “main patron behind these terror incidents”. But he did not present any concrete evidence to substantiate his claims.

Chaudhry also alleged that the militants released some hostages based on their ethnicity to create a “false impression” of humanitarianism.

India strongly rejects Pakistan’s claims

New Delhi reacted promptly to the allegations, categorically rejecting Pakistan’s claims. Rejecting the charges, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said:

“We categorically reject the baseless allegations levelled by Pakistan. The entire world knows where the epicentre of global terrorism is. Pakistan needs to look within itself instead of pointing fingers and blaming others for its domestic issues and shortcomings.”

India has consistently maintained that Pakistan’s allegations are an attempt to divert attention from its own internal security challenges, especially in Balochistan, where separatist movements have been active for years.

Pakistan also accused Afghanistan of harbouring terrorists

Pakistan’s Foreign Office also claimed the role of foreign forces in the attack. Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan claimed that the terrorists involved in the Jaffar Express attack were in touch with their commanders in Afghanistan.

“India has been involved in terrorism in Pakistan. In the particular attack on Jaffar Express, the terrorists were in touch with their handlers and masterminds in Afghanistan,” Khan said in his weekly press briefing.

This comes against the backdrop of the ongoing cold war between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad continues to accuse Kabul of giving Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists a free hand to operate from Afghan territory. However, the Afghan Taliban regime has denied such claims, straining relations between the two neighbours.

The blame game between India and Pakistan over security incidents is not new but the recent allegations have further aggravated the already strained ties between the two countries. While Pakistan continues to accuse India of external help in its internal conflicts, India says Islamabad should focus on solving its own security issues instead of blaming others. In the absence of concrete evidence presented by Pakistan, it is unlikely that the international community will pay heed to these allegations.

(With inputs from agencies)