Synopsis
On March 13, the Pakistan government faced intense criticism in the National Assembly regarding its handling of the Jaffar Express hijacking. Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan condemned the government's silence and called for urgent discussions, highlighting the severity of the crisis and demanding accountability for intelligence failures.Key Takeaways
- Government remained silent during National Assembly discussions.
- 346 hostages rescued; 50 attackers neutralized.
- Opposition criticized lack of urgency in addressing the hijacking.
- Calls for releasing critical investigative reports.
- Allegations of intelligence failures in handling the situation.
Islamabad, March 13 (NationPress) As the scrutiny over the management of the Jaffar Express hijacking in Balochistan intensified, the Pakistan government maintained a conspicuous silence in the National Assembly, even when faced with harsh criticism from the Opposition.
On Wednesday, the coalition government chose not to address the hijacking incident that had alarmed the nation, while Opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan condemned its lack of action.
Local media reports indicated that prominent Pakistani ministers, including Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, and Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, were present in the House but chose not to issue a policy statement.
The conflict between the fighters of the Baloch Liberation Army's (BLA) Majeed Brigade and the Pakistani military, which ensued after the significant assault on the Jaffar Express in Bolan district, concluded after over 24 hours on Wednesday evening.
The military asserted that the operation to neutralize the attackers and rescue the hostages was successfully completed.
Security sources confirmed that at least 346 hostages were saved and around 50 attackers were neutralized.
"Operation concluded, the site has been cleared. All hostages were released. Total rescued 346-168 last night and 178 today. 50 terrorists eliminated," a reliable security source stated.
Officials also disclosed that militants had been employing women and children as human shields during the attack.
The train, which was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, was hijacked by BLA militants, with over 400 passengers taken hostage. Despite the seriousness of the crisis, the federal Cabinet displayed little urgency in addressing the situation.
During the National Assembly session, Omar Ayub Khan insisted that regular proceedings be halted to facilitate a discussion on the Jaffar Express hijacking.
However, PPP's Abdul Qadir Patel, who was presiding over the session in the absence of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, disregarded the request and continued with the Question Hour instead.
This decision led to a noisy protest from PTI lawmakers, who walked out after raising slogans in protest, according to a report by the leading Pakistani daily, Dawn.
After the Question Hour concluded, the PTI members returned to the House, where Omar Ayub took the floor to deliver a scathing critique of the government's inaction.
"Balochistan is burning and the government is doing business as usual," he declared.
Pointing to treasury members engaged in casual discussions, he remarked that their lack of seriousness reflected the government's indifference to terrorism.
Khan also demanded the release of several critical reports, including those of the Hamoodur Rehman Commission on the 1971 War, the Abbottabad Commission, and investigations into the Salala checkpoint attack and the 2014 Army Public School massacre in Peshawar.
Referring to the Jaffar Express attack as "a gross Intelligence failure," Khan questioned how numerous terrorists managed to gather and execute the operation in broad daylight without being detected by Intelligence agencies.
He lamented that while soldiers and officers of the armed forces faced the consequences of such failures, law enforcement agencies were swift to mobilize against even a few PTI members.
With 13 Intelligence agencies operating in the country, Khan alleged that their primary focus was targeting Opposition leaders rather than pursuing terrorists.
He accused the Balochistan government of prioritizing crackdowns on Opposition figures like Mahmood Achakzai, Akhtar Mengal, and Mahrang Baloch while neglecting the increasing presence of militants. He claimed that 37 districts in Balochistan had effectively become "no-go areas" due to government inaction.
Shifting his focus to economic issues, Khan criticized the government's policies and challenged its assertions of reducing inflation and price hikes.
Earlier in the session, the government faced backlash not only from the Opposition but also from coalition partners over the absence of ministers during proceedings, further heightening tensions in the National Assembly.
