WNAM REPORT: A devastating terrorist attack near Chaman Phatak in Quetta left at least 14 people martyred, including three personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), while several others sustained critical injuries on Sunday morning.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), terrorists targeted a passenger train as it passed through the area around 8:15am, triggering a powerful explosion that set one of the train’s bogies on fire. The attack caused widespread panic and destruction, with shattered windows in nearby residential buildings and several vehicles engulfed in flames.
Among the victims was an entire family living in a nearby apartment — a husband, wife, and their 13-year-old daughter — who lost their lives when the blast ripped through the neighborhood. Eyewitnesses said the explosion could be heard from far away, sending residents rushing out of their homes in fear.
Rescue teams, firefighters, and law enforcement agencies quickly reached the scene and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital, BMC, and other medical facilities where emergency measures were imposed. Officials confirmed that women and children were among the injured, while several victims remain in critical condition.
The Security forces immediately cordoned off the area and launched a large-scale investigation to trace those involved in the attack. Railway operations on the affected track were suspended temporarily as heavy machinery worked to clear debris and restore the damaged railway line.
In its statement, the ISPR condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians, saying the attack exposed the “desperation” of anti-Pakistan terrorist elements seeking to spread fear by attacking soft civilian targets instead of confronting the state directly. The military’s media wing also paid tribute to the FC personnel who embraced martyrdom while protecting innocent passengers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the bombing, declaring that such “cowardly acts of terrorism” could not weaken the nation’s resolve. He reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminating terrorism in all forms and expressed solidarity with the people of Balochistan during this difficult time.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti also denounced the attack, vowing that terrorists and their facilitators would be hunted down and brought to justice. He stated that there would be “no safe haven” left for militants in the province.
The tragedy comes amid a surge in terrorist violence across Pakistan. Security officials continue to battle militant networks operating in different regions, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where attacks on civilians and security forces have intensified in recent years.
