Pakistan’s Balochistan province witnessed yet another sabotage attempt on its vital railway infrastructure Wednesday, when unknown militants exploded a device on tracks in Notal, Nasirabad district. The timing was fortuitous – no passenger train traversed the path, avoiding tragedy amid the debris-strewn scene near the highway.
Damage was contained to a segment of the track, prompting an immediate suspension of services. No injuries reported, per police, as response teams including security personnel fanned out for a thorough sweep. Railway workers are on-site mending the breach, aiming for quick resumption.
Context reveals a troubling escalation. Echoing a December incident near Dera Murad Jamali where tracks were bombed and another IED disarmed, this fits a pattern targeting the Peshawar-Quetta lifeline. Recall November’s ambush in Bolan Pass’s Aab-e-Gum, where armed attackers shot at the Jaffar Express, only to flee under retaliatory fire.
Sindh’s Shikarpur blast in October injured at least seven on the same route. The pinnacle of audacity was last March’s BLA-orchestrated hijack: Majeed Brigade dynamited tracks at Dhabbar, halting the train, taking hundreds hostage, and claiming kills among security ranks after scrutiny.
These operations signal deepening separatist resolve in Balochistan, where demands for autonomy clash with federal control. Authorities have opened probes, promising accountability, yet the cycle endures. Restoring not just tracks but regional stability demands innovative security and dialogue, lest economic lifelines fray further.