Islamabad, Mar 13 (UNI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will take stock of the law and order situation during his visit to Quetta, capital of the restive Balochistan province, following the Jaffar Express hijack incident, media reports said on Thursday.
The premier's visit comes after security forces eliminated all 33 Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists who had hijacked the Jaffar Express, which was carrying more than 400 passengers who were taken hostage on Tuesday in Balochistan's Bolan district, the Geo News reported.
The armed forces completed a two-day operation against terrorists who were in contact with their facilitators and masterminds in Afghanistan via satellite phone, said Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.
Units from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Special Services Group (SSG), Army, and Frontier Corps (FC) took part in the operation, the army's spokesperson said.
The military spokesperson revealed that 21 passengers were killed by terrorists before the clearance operation began, despite all hostages being freed. Also, four FC personnel were also killed during the attack in Mushqaf area of the Bolan district.
"Whoever did this will be hunted down and brought to justice," said Lt Gen Chaudhry, adding that the suicide bombers present near the hostages using them as human shields were taken out by snipers.
Meanwhile, with an emergency imposed in Sibi and Civil Hospital Quetta, at least 29 wounded in the Jaffar Express incident have been shifted to the provincial capital—of which 16 and 13 have been brought to the CMH and the Civil Hospital, respectively.
According to the hospital administration, the condition of the injured passengers is stable, and they are out of danger. Also, 47 passengers have been shifted to Quetta from Mach.
Meanwhile, the bodies of those killed along with several of those wounded in the incident have been shifted to the Mach Railway Station and will be sent to their native areas after necessary administrative prerequisites.
Reacting to the unfortunate incident, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif lambasted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for using similar language to that used by the Indian media and from accounts from Afghanistan on social media platforms.
"We need to rise above political interests and demonstrate national unity [on such occasions]," said Asif.
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