Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday alleged the Jaffar Express hijacking is a continuation of India’s policy to sponsor terrorism in Pakistan.
Addressing a media briefing on the incident alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, the military spokesman said the “main sponsor” of terrorist attacks in the restive province was “the eastern neighbor.” Playing footage of Indian coverage of the hijacking, as well as confessional statement of convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav, he stressed the incident was a continuity of India’s policy. “The same sponsorship from where is it was engineered and from it was being pushed,” he said.
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express on Tuesday after detonating explosives on the train tracks and taking over 400 passengers hostage. A subsequent standoff between terrorists and security forces lasted over 24 hours, concluding with the killing of 33 terrorists and the release of more than 300 passengers. According to the military, the militants martyred 21 hostages and 4 FC personnel.
During the press briefing, the DG ISPR shared details of the operation. He said the terrorists had stopped the Jaffar Express via an IED blast in hilly terrain area where accessibility is difficult. He said the terrorists had gathered in groups, adding one of the groups was tasked with keeping women and children inside the train after forcing all the men to go outside. “They were then divided into groups,” he said, regretting that while this situation was unfolding, Indian media launched a narrative war glorifying the terrorists.
“They attempted to create a narrative by sharing A.I.-generated images and fake videos. They were leading an informational warfare,” he said, adding a “nexus” was working amid the situation to give legitimacy to the terrorists and their narrative.
“A group of hostages was released based on their ethnic affiliations,” he said, adding this was for logistical reasons, as there were too many people for the terrorists to control. The release, he said, also sought to create a “false impression” of humanitarian values by claiming they had released some hostages.
According to the DG ISPR, the Special Services Group’s Zarrar Company had conducted the clearance operation, targeting the terrorists’ suicide bombers from a distance before moving in to secure the hostages. He said officers had cleared the train from the front to the back, killing any terrorists they encountered. “Not even a single casualty was recorded among the hostages during this entire operation,” he stressed, regretting some passengers were martyred before the operation.
Q&A
During the question and answer session, Lt. Gen. Chaudhry was asked whether they had been any progress on his earlier statement claiming the BLA attack had “changed the rules of the game.” The spokesman said all terrorists would be dealt with as required. “We will take them on, their facilitators, their abettors, whether inside Pakistan or outside Pakistan,” he added.
He also rejected the notion the hijacking was the result of an intelligence failure, stressing the region had very challenging terrain. He also stressed that forces had detected and neutralized thousands of threats, but it was not possible to address every single threat amidst the current terror resurgence. He noted that intelligence agencies were aware of a threat in the area, which had enabled them to respond in a timely and successful manner.
He said law enforcement agencies conducted 59,775 intelligence-based operations, both major and minor, in 2024. In 2025, thus far, he said 11,654 IBOs were conducted. “This year, we are averaging 180 IBOs per day,” he said.
Casualties
The DG ISPR also provided an update of the casualties during the incident. He said 33 terrorists were killed, while the number of martyred passengers had risen to 26 from the previously announced 21. He said 354 passengers were successfully identified and rescued, bringing the total passenger count to 380. To a question on discrepancies in the number of fatalities, he reiterated the figures, adding 18 of the 26 martyred belonged to the Army or FC; three were linked to the railways and other departments; while five were civilians.
From operational fatalities, he said, three FC personnel were martyred at the picket; one FC soldier martyred on Wednesday morning; and another stationed for security duty on the train.
He stressed on the need to implement fully the 14 points of the National Action Plan.
Bugti’s Take
In his turn at the mic, the chief minister derided the “so-called fight against the state” as a farce, stressing the perpetrators could not be referred to as anything other than “terrorists.” Reiterating India’s involvement in the terrorism through Afghanistan, he lamented that past policies of appeasement and the release of detained terrorist commanders had enabling them to reestablish insurgent camps against the state.
On questions about the missing persons issue and its potential link to terrorism, Bugti admitted it was a “dicey subject.” Noting the count of missing persons itself was unclear, he said there was a need to differentiate between “enforced disappearances” and “self-disappearance.”