For thrill-seekers fascinated by train journeys, this one is becoming one of the world’s most dangerous adventures. The Jaffar Express is a passenger train in Pakistan that travels a long, rugged route across the country, linking distant cities over more than 1,600 kilometres. While it serves ordinary travellers day-to-day who travel across Pakistan from Quetta in the southwest all the way to Peshawar in the north, the train has become notorious for dramatic and violent incidents. In 2025 alone, it has been bombed, hijacked, shot at, and derailed at least seven times, making it a key target of militant violence.
Connecting Balochistan with the rest of the country, it is often used by soldiers and railway personnel, making it a recurring target for militant groups. Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the centre of a long-running insurgency led by armed separatist groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army, the Baloch Republican Guards, and the Baloch Liberation Front. These groups are seeking independence from Balochistan due to alleged political marginalisation, economic neglect, and control of natural resources.
The most recent incident only dates back to Tuesday, when a powerful blast destroyed the train, derailing four of its coaches near Sultan Kot railway station in Sindh province. The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device.
A senior police officer told Arab News that at least seven people had been injured, one seriously, when four bogies overturned as a result of a blast near Sultan Kot railway station that morning. The Baloch Republican Guards (BRG), an armed separatist group, later claimed responsibility for the bombing, claiming that “such operations will continue until the independence of Balochistan”, according to the Firstpost.
The deadliest attack occurred in March, when Balochistan Liberation Army militants hijacked a train carrying about 400 passengers in the Bolan mountains. After a 30-hour standoff, security forces stormed the train, killing 33 militants, while 23 soldiers, three railway staff, and five passengers were killed.
According to Pakistan’s federal railways minister, Hanif Abbasi, India was behind the assaults. “The terrorists targeting Jaffar Express again and again are, in fact, proxies of India,” he told Dawn. India has not yet issued a statement on the allegation but in the past it rejected the claim.
For Baloch insurgents, the Jaffar Express represents the state’s presence, as it is often used by security personnel, officials, and traders, making it a key target. Human rights activists accuse the Pakistani Army of abuses in Balochistan, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of young men suspected of supporting separatists.
Despite the repeated assaults, Pakistan Railways insists the Jaffar Express will keep operating. “We will never be afraid of such attacks,” Mr Abbasi told the Dawn, adding that the security to the train routes would be tightened.