Survivor recalls nightmare of Jaffar Express hijacking

A survivor of the Jaffar Express attack in Bolan on Tuesday recounted the terrifying ordeal he and over 400 passengers endured after their train, traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, was hijacked by terrorists.

Speaking to BBC Urdu, Allah Dutta, a freed hostage, shared how he risked his life to escape captivity. He revealed that the terrorists had taken all the passengers into the mountains, where they were “killing people in groups.”

Dutta and many other hostages witnessed the horrifying executions, waiting in fear for their own fate. However, several of them mustered the courage to flee.

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He further disclosed that among the captives were “around 40 to 50 army personnel, including hawaldars and naiks,” adding that “several of them were among the casualties.”

Recalling one particularly tragic moment, Dutta said, “A man stood up and pleaded for mercy, saying he had young daughters. The terrorists shot him dead right there.”

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“My cousin was also killed, and my companion, with whom I ran, was shot and injured,” he added. Despite the heavy exchange of gunfire between security forces and terrorists, he and a few others managed to escape.

According to Dutta, after running for his life, he finally reached Frontier Corps (FC) personnel and was rescued.

He also mentioned that the army and law enforcement agencies were monitoring the area and stationed in the mountains, but due to the presence of hostages, they could not take action until nighttime.