Another brazen attack

EDITORIAL: The unprecedented nature of the terror attack on the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express, which had departed from Quetta carrying around 450 passengers on March 11, underscored not only the utter audacity and operational strength of terror networks — particularly in the troubled regions of Balochistan — it also laid bare yet again a massive intelligence failure on the part of the intelligence apparatus.

As has been confirmed so far, the train came under a rocket and gun attack by terrorists in a remote, rugged part of the Bolan district, forcing it to stop.

The assailants then took hundreds of passengers hostage before fleeing into the adjoining mountains.

A rescue operation by the security forces was able to free more than 150 passengers although these efforts were hampered by the rocky terrain and the terrorists using hostages, including women and children, as human shields.

Uncertainty surrounded the number of casualties initially and there were reports of deaths among both terrorists and the security forces.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack, with reports suggesting that its attackers were in touch with international handlers, including an Afghanistan-based mastermind, via satellite telephones.

For two decades now, Pakistan has endured all manner of terror attacks, which have targeted everything from schools and places of worship to train stations, airports, government and military installations, and bustling markets. This brazen attack, however, stands out as the first hijacking of a passenger train, highlighting the vulnerability of railway routes that traverse the remote regions of Balochistan.

The scourge of violent separatism — driven by the likes of the BLA, the Balochistan Liberation Front and other similar outfits — has blighted the province for years while the crisis is further complicated by the backing they receive from overseas networks, which likely offer financial support, training and ideological backing. It is worth noting that the BLA was also responsible for Pakistan’s deadliest terror attack of 2024 when a suicide bomber killed at least 25 civilians and soldiers at Quetta railway station.

While the relentless rise of the terror monster in recent years has been driven mainly by the likes of the TTP and the BLA, it is not solely fuelled by these groups as numerous smaller militant outfits also operate across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Our counterterror mechanisms and operations have clearly had limited effectiveness in reining them in. Something is evidently missing from our counterterror strategies — be it gaps in kinetic operations, an insufficient emphasis on intelligence-driven approaches, or a lack of strategic vision in addressing the root causes of violence.

The persistent failure to integrate non-military measures, such as political engagement, economic development and de-radicalisation efforts has only allowed the cycle of militancy to endure and evolve.

The authorities appear to be increasingly clueless about how to tackle this crisis effectively.

Our rulers’ attention seems more focused on petty political wranglings and a relentless fixation on restricting civil liberties, while nefarious elements continue to wreak havoc on innocent lives and the country’s political and economic stability. It goes without saying that the state must urgently reevaluate its priorities as well as its counterterror strategies, identifying the gaps that allow militant violence to flourish.

Here it is pertinent to note that a key recommendation of the 2014 National Action Plan was the strengthening of the National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA).

A decade later NACTA has been unable to play the role that was envisioned for it. What must also be realised is that eliminating a threat rooted in an extremist mindset that has developed over generations will be nearly impossible without a cohesive national response, encompassing both military and civilian components that bolster our counterterror apparatus and address the deeper social, political and economic grievances that drive radicalisation.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025