The Jaffar Express attack is yet another chilling reminder of how terrorist groups, backed by external forces, exploit civilian casualties to wage psychological warfare against Pakistan. The attack, carried out by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) terrorists, was not a mere act of militancy but part of a broader hybrid warfare strategy aimed at destabilizing the state.
The hijacking of an unarmed train, the brutal killing of civilians—including women and children—and the subsequent information war on social media, all point toward an orchestrated effort to not only terrorize Pakistanis but also manipulate the global narrative. This event exposes the growing collusion between terrorist groups, foreign intelligence agencies, and hostile digital actors, all working to undermine Pakistan’s internal security and external reputation.
The attack underscores the evolution of terrorism in Balochistan, where non-state actors, instead of engaging in direct combat with security forces, now use civilians as bargaining chips to advance their political objectives. This is a dangerous precedent, as it exposes the inherent cowardice of these groups, who are willing to slaughter innocent women and children to push their separatist agenda.
The actual attack on Jaffar Express was only the first phase of the operation; the second phase was launched on social media, where an elaborate disinformation campaign was deployed to manipulate public perception. Hostile elements, including Indian propaganda networks and anti-state anarchists, wasted no time in spreading fabricated narratives aimed at shifting blame onto Pakistan’s security forces.
Several pro-BLA and BLF propaganda platforms, such as The Balochistan Post and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), played an instrumental role in promoting a false narrative of victimhood for the terrorists, deliberately omitting the fact that innocent civilians were butchered by these groups. Meanwhile, certain self-proclaimed human rights activists and journalists, such as Iman Mazari and Adil Raja, chose to remain silent on the atrocities committed against passengers while amplifying anti-state rhetoric. This selective outrage is a hallmark of modern psychological warfare. The same voices that actively criticize Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts conveniently ignore the brutality of separatist insurgents, proving their ideological bias and foreign alignment.
Evidence suggests that the Jaffar Express hijackers were in direct communication with their handlers in Afghanistan, reaffirming Pakistan’s long-standing concerns that foreign-sponsored terrorism in Balochistan has deep cross-border roots. The failure of Afghanistan’s interim government to crack down on these terrorist sanctuaries is not just a security concern for Pakistan but a serious threat to regional stability. Over the years, India’s involvement in financing and training Baloch terrorist groups has been well documented. From Kulbhushan Jadhav’s confessions to reports of RAW’s clandestine operations, the nexus between Indian intelligence and Baloch militant organizations is no longer a secret. This latest attack is yet another manifestation of India’s proxy war against Pakistan, where terrorist groups serve as its strategic assets to foment unrest.
Critics have falsely accused Pakistan’s security forces of being slow to respond. However, such accusations betray a fundamental lack of understanding of counterterrorism operations in hostage situations. The presence of civilians as human shields significantly limits the use of force, requiring precision, patience, and strategic restraint. A hasty operation could have resulted in mass casualties, which is exactly what the terrorists wanted. By exercising discipline and restraint, security forces ensured that more lives were saved, even though the operation took time.
This, however, did not stop certain Baloch nationalist politicians, such as Akhtar Mengal, from indirectly legitimizing the terrorists’ actions by questioning the state’s response. Such narratives only embolden separatist propaganda and provide indirect moral justification for terrorism. The state must take a firm stance against political figures who openly or covertly glorify terrorism under the guise of ethnic grievances.
The Jaffar Express attack is a watershed moment in Pakistan’s ongoing fight against terrorism. It has exposed the operational nexus between terrorists, their foreign backers, and digital propaganda networks working to undermine the state. Moving forward, Pakistan must adopt a proactive, rather than reactive, approach in dealing with Baloch insurgency and hybrid warfare threats. The time for defensive posturing is over; the state must take bold steps to dismantle terrorist networks, counter propaganda, and expose hostile actors on all fronts. Terrorism in Balochistan is not merely a security challenge—it is part of a larger geopolitical game where external actors are using proxies to weaken Pakistan. The state must respond accordingly, ensuring that such attacks do not just end with military operations but result in decisive action against all enablers—be they political, digital, or cross-border.