Jaffar Express attack orchestrated, directed by terrorists’ leaders from abroad: FO Spox

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan says the terrorists attack on Jaffar Express near Sibi in Balochistan was orchestrated and directed by terrorists ring leaders operating from abroad, ARY News reported quoting Foreign Office spokesperson.

At his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said the security forces successfully eliminated all thirty-three terrorists including suicide bombers while rescuing the hostages.

He said terrorists were in direct communication with Afghanistan-based planners throughout the incident.

The Spokesperson said Pakistan has repeatedly asked the interim Afghan government to deny the use of its soil for terrorist groups like BLA to attack Pakistan.

He urged Afghanistan to hold perpetrators, organizers and financiers of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and cooperate with the government of Pakistan in brining all those, who were concerned with this attack including the real sponsors of terrorism, to justice.

Shafqat Ali Khan said Pakistan has been a victim of terrorism which is planned, orchestrated and sponsored by those detractors who are operating outside the borders.

He said unfortunately, we have many detractors of peace in our region who do not want to see Pakistan reap the dividends of its unprecedented and sincere efforts in counter terrorism and building a peaceful region.

Pakistan on Thursday unequivocally condemned Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and halting of electricity supply to Gaza, calling it the manifestation of Israel’s systematic campaign to weaponize aid and dehumanize the Palestinian people.

Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, at his weekly press briefing, also condemned the continuing Israeli assault against the people of West Bank and Gaza, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women and children.

He said that the Israeli attempts to dismantle the operations of the humanitarian agencies, including United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were unacceptable.

“We call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in West Bank and Gaza; protection of civilians; and unrestricted humanitarian access to those in urgent need. The international community must step in to end Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza. We also urge the international community to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity,” he remarked.

The spokesperson also denounced the Indian authorities’ decision to declare the ‘Awami Action Committee’ and ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ as ‘Unlawful Association’ for a period of five years.

He said that the ‘Awami Action Committee’ was led by a prominent political and religious leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while ‘Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen’ was also founded by another notable political and religious leader, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, who headed it till his demise in 2022.

“The recent decision increases the total number of outlawed Kashmiri political parties and organizations to 16. Banning of different political parties and organizations is yet another manifestation of the Indian authorities’ iron-fisted approach in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” the spokesperson remarked.

He said that the Indian decision also reflected a desire to suppress the political activities and stifle dissent besides showing sheer disregard of democratic norms and international human rights law.

Spokesperson Shafqat Khan also urged the Indian government to remove the curbs on the Kashmiri political parties; release all political prisoners; and faithfully implement the UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.

He apprised the media of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar’s participation in the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) held on March 7, 2025 in Jeddah, where he reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and urged immediate collective action to address the ongoing Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people and safeguard their rights, including their right to return to their ancestral homeland.

The deputy prime minister also condemned the proposal of resettlement of Palestinians in other countries; underscored the imperative for the establishment of a sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital; and emphasized on the necessity of concrete measures to realize the two-State Solution as the only means of achieving lasting peace in the region.