Islamabad (Web Desk): Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for politicising’ Jaffar Express hijacking and targeting the state institutions on social media.
Participating in the discussion on the Presidential address to the Joint Sitting of the Parliament in the National Assembly (NA) today, he said that Pakistan will emerge victorious in the war on terrorism with the nation's support for the armed forces.
The defence minister said that the security forces successfully eliminated the terrorists who attacked
Jaffar Express in Balochistan, thus preventing the crisis from worsening.
Khawaja Asif criticized the PTI for targeting the state institutions on social media.
At the outset, the house offered fateha for the security personnel and passengers martyred in terror attack on Jaffar Express.
The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, when Jaffar Express, traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, carrying 440 passengers, came under attack by militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
The assailants opened fire on the train and took the passengers hostage, leading to a two-day operation by security forces to resolve the situation.
By Wednesday evening, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that the security forces successfully concluded the operation, with 33 militants neutralized at the site. He added that tragically, 21 passengers and four personnel from the Frontier Corps lost their lives during the attack.
However, during the final phase of the operation, all hostages were safely rescued, with no further harm done to them.