An explosion on the railway track near Sultan Kot in Shikarpur district derailed four coaches of the Jaffar Express and injured at least four passengers, according to police and railway officials.
The passenger train was travelling from Peshawar to Quetta when the blast damaged a section of the track, prompting authorities to suspend rail traffic in the area.
Police confirmed that all four injured passengers were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. A bomb disposal squad was called to the scene to determine the nature and intensity of the explosion. The team is currently collecting forensic evidence from the damaged section of the railway track.
Following the Jaffar Express explosion near Sultan Kot, rail operations on the affected route were temporarily suspended. Authorities made alternate arrangements to transport stranded passengers to their destinations via bus services.
The Divisional Superintendent of Railways said repair work on the damaged track had already begun and would take eight to ten hours to complete. He added that no trains were scheduled to pass through the affected section before 5 PM, allowing sufficient time for restoration and safety checks.
Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar has sought a detailed report from the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shikarpur and directed that a full-scale investigation be launched. He also instructed law enforcement agencies to identify and arrest those responsible for targeting the railway track.
Officials noted that the Jaffar Express explosion near Sultan Kot underscores ongoing security risks to Pakistan’s rail network, particularly in regions vulnerable to sabotage. Authorities have pledged to enhance monitoring and coordination among security forces to prevent future incidents.
The Jaffar Express, one of Pakistan’s major passenger trains linking Peshawar and Quetta, has been targeted in similar attacks in the past, raising concerns about the safety of long-distance rail travel in volatile areas.
Terror-related violence rises sharply
Violence in Pakistan has surged sharply this year, with deaths rising by nearly half in the past three months, according to new data from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
The think tank’s latest quarterly report recorded 901 deaths and almost 600 injuries in 329 violent incidents, including militant attacks and counterterrorism operations.
The figures suggest that 2025 could surpass last year as the country’s deadliest in a decade.
CRSS noted a shift in the pattern of casualties, with more than half of this year’s fatalities linked to security operations — a sign, it said, of the state’s increasingly forceful response to militancy.
