- Indian outlets spread fake videos and content that misrepresented terrorists’ action: Lt-Gen Chaudhry
- He links attack to ongoing regional instability, pointing to Afghanistan as a source of support for terrorist activities in Pakistan
- Underscores 14-point NAP evolved after 2014 APS attack as tool to root out terrorism
- This is not about Baloch identity or rights; it is about terrorism, and they will be treated as they deserve: Bugti
ISLAMABAD: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif on Friday said that India is the main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan and termed Jafar Express hijacking continuation of India’s terrorist mentality, reaffirming the commitment to hunt down terrorists, their enablers and facilitators both inside and outside Pakistan.
“Terrorists will be dealt with as they deserve, as those who drag innocent people out of buses and slaughter them, a group that divides people by ethnicity, have no connection to Baloch ethnicity or Islam”, DG ISPR stated during a presser conducted alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti.
“We will deal with them as they deserve. We will take them on, their facilitators, their abettors, whether inside Pakistan or outside Pakistan,” he said while responding question.
The presser comes days after attack on Jaffar Express on Tuesday afternoon when terrorists of outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed and hijacked the Peshawar-bound train with 440 passengers onboard. Subsequently, security forces launched a two-day operation, concluding on Wednesday evening. Lt-Gen Chaudhry confirmed that all 33 terrorists were neutralised, but no hostages were harmed in the final phase of rescue operation.
The DG ISPR maintained that India was the main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan, elaborating on that the terrorists had used Afghan and foreign weapons in the recent incident and previous attacks.
“We must understand that in this terrorist incident in Balochistan, and others before, the main sponsor is your eastern neighbour (India),” he asserted.
Lt-Gen Chaudhry criticised the Indian media for spreading propaganda about the incident, saying Indian media outlets circulated AI-generated videos and broadcast content that misrepresented the terrorists’ actions.
The DG ISPR said a “nexus” was working amid the situation to give legitimacy to the terrorists and their narrative.
Showing various clips of Indian officials and personalities discussing efforts to destabilise Balochistan, the DG ISPR said the Jaffar Express attack was a “continuation of the same policy”.
According to DG ISPR, the attack began when the train was halted by an improvised explosive device (IED) at approximately 1pm in a mountainous area. Prior to this, militants had attacked a Frontier Corps (FC) checkpost, killing three soldiers.
“The BLA militants were positioned in multiple groups, including on the surrounding hills,” he explained. “They took passengers hostage, separating women and children inside the train while escorting the remaining hostages to various locations outside.”
The military spokesperson also revealed that on the evening of March 11, a group of hostages was released under the pretext of ethnicity, further fueling tensions and division.
He described the rescue operation that ensued, detailing how security forces surrounded the area on March 12, engaging in a firefight with the militants. Some hostages were able to escape during the exchange. He emphasized that, remarkably, not a single hostage was killed during the operation, which he hailed as one of the most successful counter-terrorism operations in recent years.
“This was the most successful hostage rescue operation in global history, considering the terrain and presence of suicide bombers in the area,” he remarked. “Despite the challenges, our forces executed the mission with precision and minimal casualties.”
He also linked the attack to ongoing regional instability, specifically pointing to Afghanistan as a source of support for terrorist activities in Pakistan as he noted that many of the assailants were linked to Afghan-trained militants, suggesting that the masterminds behind such attacks were based near Pakistan’s northern border.
DG ISPR further claimed that terrorist operations in the region were backed by Afghanistan, especially after the withdrawal of foreign forces, which left behind equipment such as night-vision devices that are now in the hands of militants. He also highlighted the growing issue of narcotics and smuggling, with Afghanistan’s involvement facilitating these illegal activities.
He accused India of being the primary sponsor of the violence in Balochistan, linking the ongoing unrest to the influence of Indian intelligence services.
He stated that the Jaffer Express incident was part of India’s ongoing terrorist mindset. “The main sponsor of terrorism in Balochistan and in past incidents is our eastern neighbor. The Jaffer Express attack is a continuation of India’s terrorist mentality,” Sharif said.
He further elaborated on the broader narrative surrounding the attack, accusing Indian media of leading a coordinated information warfare campaign in support of the BLA.
National Action Plan after 2014 was made by consensus
He said that the National Action Plan after 2014 was made by consensus, there were fourteen points in the National Action Plan (NAP), if implemented, terrorism will have ended, why is terrorism increasing, so we have to see where those 14 points are in our lives, one point out of the fourteen points is military action, in the point of military action we can tell what we are doing.
The DG ISPR said that lives are being lost in the operation against terrorism, terrorists are getting all kinds of space in Afghanistan, three FC soldiers were martyred, a successful operation was carried out in a difficult area in 36 hours, the entire nation has to fight against terrorism.
More than 11, 000 operations carried out so far in 2025
The DG ISPR said that in 2024, law enforcement agencies have carried out more than 59 thousand operations, in 2025 so far, more than 11 thousand operations have been carried out.
He further said that in 2025, about 180 operations are being conducted on a daily basis, 1250 terrorists have been killed in 2024 and 2025, we have evidence that terrorists are receiving training in Afghanistan, Afghan citizens are involved in terrorist acts, and after the withdrawal of the coalition forces from Afghanistan, weapons went to the terrorists.
The briefing, which included slides and footage to support the claims, further highlighted the role of misinformation in fueling the attack’s propaganda.
During the press conference, the statement of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, captured in Balochistan, was also shared as evidence of India’s involvement in the region’s destabilization.
In response to the attack, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti expressed his gratitude to the international community for condemning the assault on the train.
He also strongly denounced the BLA, labeling them as terrorists and distancing the group from the Baloch people. “These individuals have no connection to the Baloch community,” Bugti said. “This is not about Baloch identity or rights; it is about terrorism, and they will be treated as such.”
CM further criticized the BLA’s claims of being “liberal,” pointing out that their “grandmother” was India’s intelligence agency, RAW.
On this occasion, the Balochistan CM Sarfaraz Bugti said that these are terrorists who want to destabilize Pakistan, condemn the attack on the Jaffar Express, and pay tribute to the brave security forces.
