Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations has informed the global body that it possesses “credible evidence” indicating that the March 11 Jaffar Express attack was backed by regional adversaries. The incident, in which Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants hijacked a Peshawar-bound passenger train carrying 440 people, resulted in the deaths of at least 30 civilians and several hostages being taken. A two-day military operation ended with all 33 attackers neutralised and hostages safely rescued, according to ISPR DG Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
At the launch event of the UN’s “Victims of Terrorism Association Network” in New York, Pakistani representative Jawad Ajmal expressed sorrow over the recent Pahalgam attack and shared Pakistan’s deep condolences with the victims’ families. He reiterated that the Jaffar Express attack was orchestrated externally, and Pakistan joins the international community in condemning such acts of terror.
Ajmal highlighted Pakistan’s long-standing struggle against terrorism, having lost over 80,000 lives and endured extensive national suffering. He praised the sacrifices of security forces and law enforcement personnel, and urged the global community to support terror victims and work towards accountability for perpetrators and their sponsors.
He stressed that counterterrorism must be approached impartially and with unity, calling for a consensus-based definition of terrorism that includes all modern forms — including right-wing extremism, Islamophobia, and state-sponsored violence. Ajmal also warned against the misuse of digital tools like social media and the dark web to incite hatred and division, and called for a crackdown on disinformation campaigns.
In a related statement last month, Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the attackers were in contact with handlers in Afghanistan, though it clarified that India remains the broader sponsor of terrorism in Pakistan. This was echoed by Lt Gen Chaudhry, who asserted that India was the primary orchestrator behind militant activity in Balochistan, using foreign-supplied weapons, including from Afghanistan, to carry out attacks.
