QUETTA (The Thursday Times) — An explosion near a railway track in Quetta left at least 14 casualties and injured more than 52 others on Sunday morning, according to security sources. The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement cited by Arab News and other media outlets, with the group saying its Majeed Brigade carried out the incident. The Thursday Times will update this article as official figures are confirmed.
The blast took place near Chaman Phatak in Quetta district, according to an incident report prepared by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority. Several coaches of the train caught fire following the explosion and two carriages were derailed. Qadir Qumbrani, Superintendent of Police in Quetta, told Arab News that 52 people were injured and had been shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment. He noted that more casualties were possible as rescue operations continued at the site.
Several buildings and vehicles in the vicinity sustained damage. Emergency response teams were deployed to the scene. An emergency was declared across Quetta’s government hospitals. Railway authorities halted the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express at Quetta Railway Station as a precautionary measure.
BLA claims responsibility
The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement cited by Arab News and other media outlets, with the group’s Majeed Brigade described as having carried out what the BLA called an organised suicide attack. The BLA is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Australia. In August 2025, the United States upgraded the BLA’s designation from a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity to a full Foreign Terrorist Organization, specifically naming the Majeed Brigade alongside the parent organisation.
Previous attacks on Pakistan’s railways
Sunday’s incident follows a series of attacks on railway infrastructure in Balochistan in recent years. In March 2025, militants associated with the BLA stormed the Jaffar Express in Balochistan and held hundreds of passengers hostage. A security operation resulted in the deaths of 33 militants, 23 soldiers, three railway staff and five passengers. In November 2024, an explosion at Quetta railway station killed 26 people including security personnel, an attack the BLA also claimed.
What the BLA is, who has designated it, and who Pakistan holds responsible
The Balochistan Liberation Army is a separatist militant organisation designated as a terrorist group by Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Australia. Pakistan proscribed the BLA in 2006. The United Kingdom banned it under the Terrorism Act 2000 in July 2006. The United States first designated it a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2019 and upgraded that to a full Foreign Terrorist Organization in August 2025, specifically naming the Majeed Brigade alongside the parent organisation. Canada and Australia have similarly proscribed the group.
That breadth of international designation, reached independently by governments with very different foreign policy interests, reflects a consistent assessment of what the BLA does rather than where any single government stands politically on Pakistan.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that the BLA receives backing from its eastern neighbour India, as well as from Afghan soil. Balochistan’s provincial government has repeatedly referred to the BLA as an “Indian-backed” terrorist group. Pakistan’s military and senior officials have made this allegation at multiple press conferences, and in January 2026, Balochistan’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said senior BLA leaders were operating from Afghan territory. India and Afghanistan both deny these allegations. India has not been designated by any international body in connection with the BLA. Pakistan has not yet presented internationally verified evidence in the public domain to substantiate the claim.
The BLA’s own conduct across two decades is documented. The Majeed Brigade has deployed women suicide bombers, targeted Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects, attacked ports, airports and passenger trains. The group’s campaign has not produced a single political outcome for the Baloch people it claims to represent. It has produced civilian deaths, displacement and the destruction of infrastructure that ordinary Baloch communities depend on. The international designations by six governments reflect that record.
The Thursday Times will update this article as the situation develops and official figures are confirmed.
Sources: Arab News, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, TRT World, PDMA incident report. Casualty figures sourced from named police official Qadir Qumbrani as reported by Arab News. Casualty figures will be updated as official statements are issued. The BLA’s claim of responsibility has been reported by named international outlets. This article will be updated as the situation develops.
