A powerful explosion late Tuesday night rocked the railway track near Sariab Road, close to Balochistan University in Quetta, the provincial capital of POB. The blast, reportedly caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), completely destroyed a section of the railway track.
No casualties have been reported so far, but the incident has once again highlighted the fragile security situation in Balochistan. Police and security forces quickly cordoned off the area and launched an investigation. The explosion has disrupted railway operations, with the railway administration earlier canceling the departure of the Jaffar Express due to heightened security concerns.
The attack comes amid escalating violence, a region plagued by unrest and conflict since Pakistan’s forceful annexation of the territory in 1948. Just a day earlier, a police vehicle was targeted in a bomb attack on Quetta’s Kambriani Road. In another incident in Zamran, security forces’ foot patrols were ambushed, resulting in the reported deaths of two personnel.
The timing of the blast is significant, occurring on the anniversary of General Aslam Baloch, a founding leader of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The anniversary prompted Pak Army to increase security across the province, with mobile networks shut down in areas like Nushki and others.
The unrest in Balochistan underscores the region’s long-standing grievances against Islamabad, including its exploitative policies, resource plundering, and brutal military operations. The Baloch nationalist movement, which has been resisting Pakistan’s oppressive tactics for decades, continues to gain traction despite heavy-handed measures such as enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and suppression of dissent by Pakistan Army.