Pakistan may hit Afghanistan for Jaffar Express terror attack

Pakistan is reeling after this week’s hijacking of the Jaffar Express by the terrorist-designated Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). It’s difficult to independently confirm the details given strict state censorship, but around 400 people were taken hostage, including servicemen traveling home on leave.

The BLA demanded the release of what they described as political prisoners, but the military staged a daring operation to end the day-long ordeal instead. At least two dozen people were killed.

The Baloch conflict owes its origins to Balochistan’s contentious incorporation into Pakistan but has evolved in recent years to take on shades of “resource nationalism.”

What’s meant by this is that some locals believe that their resource-rich region, the largest in Pakistan at nearly half the country’s size, isn’t receiving its fair share of wealth.

The BLA and its supporters also accuse Pakistan of selling the region out to China, which has invested in the Gwadar port and a massive underused airport. Pakistan denies these claims and has always blamed Afghanistan and India for the conflict.

It, therefore, wasn’t surprising when the Foreign Office’s spokesman said on Thursday that “India has been involved in terrorism in Pakistan. In the particular attack on Jaffar Express, the terrorists had been in contact with their handlers and ring leaders in Afghanistan.” It also said the “mastermind” of the attack is in Afghanistan, without elaborating.

On Thursday, the Taliban denied any involvement in the terror attack, with foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi saying Pakistan’s claims were “baseless allegations” and that it should concentrate on its own security and domestic issues rather than making “such irresponsible remarks.”