Quetta, Balochistan: Pakistan Railways resumed nationwide train services to and from Balochistan today under the existing timetable, ending a three-day operational suspension enforced due to security concerns.
The Jaffar Express departed Quetta for Peshawar on Saturday morning at its designated time, according to senior railway officials.
Concurrently, the return service from Peshawar to Quetta resumed operations, restoring the primary rail link between Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The three-day suspension followed a May 24 terrorist bombing near the railway track close to Chaman Phatak in Quetta.
The explosion martyred 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, and left multiple civilian women and children injured.
Prior to the restoration, rail traffic across the province remained entirely halted on Friday. Railway authorities cancelled Friday’s Jaffar Express departure from Quetta and diverted the inbound service from Peshawar back to Jacobabad, Sindh.
Local operations for the Bolan Mail and Chaman passenger trains were also completely suspended, causing secondary scheduling delays for outbound Karachi trains, including the Tezgam and Sukkur Express.
Read: Quetta Train Services Remain Suspended In Balochistan
Following the attack, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Field Marshal Asim Munir, visited frontline troops in Zhob District, Balochistan.
According to an official statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief attributed the Quetta bombing to foreign-sponsored proxies and vowed that the Pakistan Armed Forces, in coordination with law enforcement agencies, would eliminate the facilitators and perpetrators with full force.
