Pakistan Accuses Afghanistan of Jaffar Express Attack; Kabul Dismisses Claims as 'Baseless'

Pakistan has again blamed Afghanistan for the recent militant attack on the Jaffar Express passenger train in the Bolan district of Balochistan, which was allegedly orchestrated by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

Islamabad maintains that the attackers were in "direct contact" with handlers who were based in Afghanistan during the course of the incident.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said that intercepts confirmed that the perpetrators of the attack were connected to Afghanistan. "The terrorists had continuous contact with Afghan-based planners as they conducted the attack. Militants have safe havens across the border and Pakistan has insisted again and again that the Afghan interim government put an end to terrorist groups such as the BLA using its soil for activities," Khan declared.

He also appealed to Afghanistan to act sternly against the perpetrators. "We urge the Afghan government to bring the perpetrators, organizers, and sponsors of this atrocity to justice. They should assist Pakistan in bringing all the perpetrators—including the actual patrons of terrorism—to justice," he was quoted as saying by Express Tribune.

But Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration brushed aside Pakistan's charges as baseless. The Afghan Foreign Ministry dismissed any role in the hijacking of the train, terming Islamabad's claims "baseless."

"We strongly reject such unfounded accusations by the Pakistani military spokesperson regarding the attack on a passenger train in Balochistan and attributing it to Afghanistan. Rather than issuing irresponsible remarks, Pakistan needs to work on its internal security issues and governance," Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on X (formerly Twitter).

At the same time, India also rejected Pakistan's effort to hold New Delhi responsible for the turbulence in Balochistan. On Islamabad's subtle hints of Indian involvement, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) unequivocally refuted the charges.

"We resoundingly reject these unfounded charges. The international community knows too well where the real hotbed of world terror is located. Instead of throwing blame, Pakistan needs to reflect and mend its internal ills," stated MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.