Lt Gen Chaudhry reveals 18 personnel from army, FC among 26 martyred passengers
\n Islamabad
\nDirector General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday termed India main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan, saying the latest attack on Jaffar Express is the continuation of the same policy.
\nAddressing a media briefing flanked by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, the DG ISPR said: \u201cThe latest attack in Balochistan and other terrorist incidents that took place in the past\u2026we understand that the main sponsor of these [attacks] is your eastern neighbor.\u201d
\nThe outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), during Tuesday\u2019s attack on the Jaffar Express, blew up train tracks and held over 440 passengers hostage in a day-long standoff with security services in a remote mountain pass in Bolan district.
\nThe military, after clearing the train and rescuing hostages, said it killed 33 attackers. Before the operation began, terrorists had martyred 26 passengers, while four security personnel were martyred during the operation.
\nIn today\u2019s presser, Lt Gen Chaudhry confirmed that three FC soldiers embraced martyrdom when the terrorists attacked Frontier Corps picket before the train was ambushed.
\nArmy, FC personnel among martyred hostages
\nGiving a breakdown of the casualties in the incident, the DG ISPR revealed that 26 martyred train passengers included 18 security personnel from the army and the FC, three officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments and five civilians.
\nHe further said that the death toll from the terror attack could rise further as 37 out of the 354 passengers were injured.
\nThe military spokesperson said that they had five operation causalities.
\nThe DG ISPR said that the terrorists stopped the Jaffar Express via an IED blast in hilly terrain area where accessibility is difficult.
\nMeanwhile, a media warfare led by India media began in support of the terrorists, said the DG ISPR.
\nLt Gen Chaudhry said the incident of Jaffar Express is continuity of the India policy to sponsor terrorism in Pakistan.
\n\u201cThe incident of Jaffar Express is continuity of the same policy, the same sponsorship from where is it was engineered and from it was being pushed..,\u201d he remarked.
\nSlamming the Indian media, the DG ISPR said that fake videos were created by using artificial intelligence (AI) to spread malicious propaganda regarding Jaffar Express attack on the social media platforms.
\n\u201cIndian media spread propaganda by using the fake videos to exaggerate the situation,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cIndia media tried to create a narrative [against Pakistan] by airing fake videos,\u201d he said, adding that the Indian media also played terrorists\u2019 old videos taken from the social media.
\n\u201cA [terrorists] activity was underway in [Balochistan] and the other activity was being run by Indian media,\u201d the military spokesperson said.
\nBriefing about the hijacking incident with the help of maps, Lt Gen Chaudhry said that the terrorists were in different groups, adding that one of the militant groups kept the women and children inside the train.
\n\u201cRest of the passengers were brought outside the train by terrorists and divided into groups,\u201d he added.
\nIn a bid to create a \u201cfalse impression\u201d of humanitarian values, the militants released a group of hostages in the evening, he added.
\nHowever, some of the hostages managed to escape when they got the chance, he revealed, adding that the terrorists also opened fire on the fleeing passengers.
\nThe Lt Gen said that the terrorists were in contact with their handlers in Afghanistan.
\n\u201cFrom the terrorists\u2019 communication, we came to know that there were suicide bombers among them,\u201d he added.
\nAll terrorists were eliminated during a successful and complex operation with 36 hours, Lt Gen Chaudhry said adding that terrorists could not harm anyone during the final clearance operation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lt Gen Chaudhry reveals 18 personnel from army, FC among 26 martyred passengers Islamabad Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Friday termed India main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan, saying the latest attack on Jaffar Express is the continuation of the same policy. Addressing a media briefing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-467009","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n