QUETTA: Senior federal and provincial authorities agreed on Sunday to bolster security in Balochistan and use the full weight of the law to combat terrorists.
The Quetta Railway Station suicide explosion on Saturday, which killed 26 people, has prompted the Balochistani police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) to file a case against railway police.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti chaired a high-level meeting the day after the attack to examine the province’s overall law and order situation and discuss the initial report of the incident.
Moazzam Jah Ansari, the Inspector General of Police for Balochistan, briefed the meeting about the event while visiting the crime scene on Sunday with CTD DIG Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya.
The meeting decided to use maximum force and decisive action against the terrorists.
The officials agreed to expand ongoing intelligence-based efforts to eradicate terrorist networks in various parts of the province.
Additionally, the government decided to boost security forces’ capabilities and resources throughout the province.
The federal government’s pledge to assist Balochistan in its fight against terrorism was reaffirmed by Interior Minister Naqvi.
He stressed the integration of training measures for police, the Counter-Terrorism Department, Levies, and other forces to boost their skills and promised resources for the province’s security forces.
CM Bugti emphasized that every effort is being made to preserve peace and order and protect citizens’ lives and property.
The “handful of elements” engaged in militant actions will be eradicated, he declared.
The gathering also expressed solidarity with the families of those killed in the disaster and offered prayers for them.
Along with other high-ranking security officials, the meeting was attended by Quetta Division Commissioner Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Shahab Ali Shah, and Balochistan Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan.
Hospitalized victims
About 35 injured individuals are receiving treatment at the trauma center of the Quetta Civil Hospital and CMH Quetta, while the death toll from the tragedy at Quetta station is still at 26.
At least four individuals are in serious condition, while about thirty people have already been released from the Civil Hospital following treatment because their injuries were minor, according to Dr. Wasim Baig, a spokesman for the hospital.
The 22-year-old bomb victim, Mohammad Omar, said he was traveling to his hometown of Jaffarabad with his mother and younger brother.
From his bed in the hospital’s trauma center, he told Dawn, “I was waiting for the train at the railway station with my family when all of a sudden, a powerful blast took place.”
Omar, a laborer in Quetta, claimed that he woke up in the hospital and had no memory of what had transpired following the explosion. He was grateful that no one else in his family had been wounded.
The 60-year-old Attaullah had came to the hospital to pick up his brother’s body after he was killed in the explosion.
In the meantime, Sunday saw the burial of the victims of the suicide attack at the railway station in several towns and cities.
At the Quetta Garrison, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Chief of Army Staff Gen. Asim Munir attended the funeral of fallen soldiers.
Suspended train service
According to an official press release, Pakistan Railways has halted train service to and from Quetta for four days due to security concerns.
Following a four-day suspension of Jaffar Express and Bolan Mail services on November 11, Pakistan Railways CEO Aamir Ali Baloch stated that operations will resume once the authorities had given their security clearance.
He claimed that with the help of the provincial government and security services, Pakistan Railways had effectively built train communication between Quetta and the rest of the nation, and that “such incidents would not weaken their resolve.”
Additionally, Pakistan Railways declared that from Monday, there will be no trains leaving Quetta and that both trains heading there would be halted at the Jacobabad railway station.
