Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi said Pakistan’s railway operations would continue without interruption despite the deadly explosion that struck a shuttle train near Chaman Phatak in Quetta on Sunday, killing and injuring dozens of people.
Speaking after the incident, the railway minister described the attack as a “cowardly act of terrorism” and said such violence could not weaken the country’s resolve against militancy.
According to Hanif Abbasi, the shuttle train travelling from Quetta Cantonment station came under attack near Chaman Phatak, causing the locomotive and three passenger coaches to derail while two bogies overturned due to the intensity of the explosion.
“The enemies of Pakistan cannot stop railway operations through acts of terror,” the minister said, adding that rescue and relief activities were launched immediately after the blast.
Railway officials said the shuttle train was transporting passengers from Quetta Cantonment Railway Station to the city railway station, where they were scheduled to board the Jaffar Express for Peshawar.
Officials added that many passengers onboard were government employees and security personnel travelling to their hometowns for Eid holidays.
The powerful blast caused widespread destruction around the railway track. Eyewitness videos showed overturned train coaches, burning vehicles and thick smoke rising from the area shortly after the explosion.
Nearby residential neighborhoods also suffered damage. Residents reported shattered windows, damaged walls and collapsed doors after the blast wave spread through surrounding areas.
Emergency was declared in hospitals across Quetta as ambulances shifted the injured to medical facilities, including the Civil Hospital Trauma Center. Authorities restricted media access at some treatment centers while rescue operations continued.
Hanif Abbasi said security forces quickly cordoned off the area and launched rescue efforts with the support of relief trains, rescue trucks and emergency personnel.
He added that a detailed report into the incident would be prepared soon while railway authorities worked to restore affected tracks and remove damaged coaches using heavy cranes deployed at the site.
The minister also alleged that “terrorist networks operating from India and Afghanistan” were behind attempts to destabilize Pakistan, though officials have not yet publicly shared findings from the ongoing investigation.
Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack and said terrorists targeting innocent civilians, women and children had exposed their brutality. He vowed that facilitators and masterminds behind the incident would be brought to justice.
Security forces, bomb disposal teams and law enforcement agencies remained present at the site throughout the day as investigators examined the nature of the explosion and collected evidence from the affected railway track.
The attack once again raised concerns over the security of railway infrastructure in Balochistan, where train services have faced repeated threats and disruptions in recent years due to militant violence and sabotage incidents.
