RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s military spokesperson on Friday said that India is the main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan as he provided details of the deadly train attack in the southwestern province.
Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry addressing a joint press conference along with the Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti denounced Indian media’s false propaganda adding that no passengers were hurt during the final clearance operation.
“The latest attack in Balochistan and other terrorist incidents that took place in the past…we understand that the main sponsor of these [attacks] is your eastern neighbour,” the DG ISPR said.
The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) carried out an attack on the Jaffar Express on Tuesday, blowing up train tracks and taking over 440 passengers hostage in a day-long standoff with security forces in a remote mountain pass in Bolan district.
After securing the train and rescuing the hostages, the military reported that 33 attackers had been killed.
Briefing media on the hijacking incident, supported by maps, the DG ISPR said that the terrorists stopped the Jaffar Express via an IED blast in a hilly terrain area where accessibility is difficult.
Lt Gen Chaudhry added that the terrorists were divided into different groups. He added that one of the militant groups had kept the women and children inside the train.
“Rest of the passengers were brought outside the train by terrorists and divided into groups,” he added.
He said the terrorists tried to create a “false impression” of humanitarian values by claiming they had released some hostages. Lt Gen Chaudhry said the terrorists had used both Indian and Afghan weapons in the recent incident, as well as in previous attacks.
“This was the most successful hostage rescue operation in global history, considering the terrain and presence of suicide bombers in the area,” Sharif remarked. “Despite the challenges, our forces executed the mission with precision and minimal casualties.”
Indian media’s propaganda
DG ISPR criticised the Indian media for spreading propaganda about the terror incident.
“The Indian media displayed fake footage of the incident to spread propaganda,” he said. “They attempted to create a narrative by sharing AI-generated images and fake videos. They were leading an informational warfare.”
The DG ISPR said a “nexus” was working amid the situation to give legitimacy to the terrorists and their narrative.
Lt Gen Chaudhry said the incident of Jaffar Express is a continuity of the Indian policy to sponsor terrorism in Pakistan.
Before the train was ambushed, he said, a large group of terrorists attacked a Frontier Corps picket, martyring three FC soldiers.
He also attributed the attack to ongoing regional instability, specifically highlighting Afghanistan as a source of support for terrorist activities in Pakistan. Sharif pointed out that many of the attackers were connected to Afghan-trained militants, suggesting that the masterminds behind such attacks were based near Pakistan’s northern border.
He further asserted that terrorist operations in the region were being supported by Afghanistan, particularly after the withdrawal of foreign forces, which left behind equipment such as night-vision devices now in the hands of militants.
He also drew attention to the rising issue of narcotics and smuggling, with Afghanistan’s involvement playing a key role in facilitating these illegal activities.
To a question, he said law enforcement agencies conducted 59,775 intelligence-based operations, both major and minor, in 2024. So far in 2025, 11,654 IBOs have been carried out.
“This year, we are averaging 180 IBOs per day,” he added. Meanwhile, around 1,250 terrorists were “sent to hell” in 2024 and 2025, while 563 security personnel were martyred in the line of duty, he said.
CM Bugti taking over the press conference said, “We’re in an intelligence-driven war waged against the state of Pakistan by RAW and other hostile agencies through Afghanistan especially because Afghan soil is being used against us.”
Denouncing the attack on unarmed civilians, CM Bugti called the “so-called fight” against the state a farce, saying it was driven by purely evil forces and that the perpetrators should only be referred to as “terrorists.”
Bugti stated that the security forces had the capacity and capability to “resolve this situation quickly,” emphasising that such an escalation was not a new occurrence.
A day after the operation, the Foreign Office said that there was no doubt the attack was linked to Afghanistan.
Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told the media that the Afghan soil had been used against Pakistan and the latest terrorist attack against Jaffar Express near Sibi in Balochistan was also orchestrated and directed by terrorist ring leaders operating from abroad.
“Terrorists were in direct communications with Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident,” he said. The Foreign Office statement came after the army also officially confirmed the Afghan link to the brazen train hijacking.
