The recent targeting of civilian train passengers in Balochistan is both tragic and unfortunate. No words are enough to condemn the incident as well as the subsequent propaganda masquerading as journalism.

Terrorists attacked the Peshawar-bound Jaffer Express in the Bolan area, took more than 450 passengers hostage, and attempted to dictate terms through violence. The BLA claimed in a hurriedly issued statement that women, children and Baloch citizens had been released, apparently to ward off the wrath of international rights groups. The smokescreen started to clear when security forces secured the perimeter and launched a rescue operation, successfully rescuing more than 100 passengers until late at night. Contrary to the terrorists’ claims, women and children were among those rescued, while three children also died at the hands of terrorists.

Incidentally, the cowardly attack comes just a week after Baloch militant factions announced their unification under the banner of Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar. With their handlers sitting in Afghanistan, this attack appears to be a calculated move aimed at spreading fear and undermining hard-earned stability in Pakistan.

The way the terrorists circulated press releases on social media and Indian media outlets gleefully turned the tragedy into a spectacle just minutes into the attack points to their nexus

Meanwhile, the Indian media’s reaction to the incident is disgraceful yet predictable. The way the terrorists circulated press releases on social media and media outlets from across the border gleefully turned the tragedy into a spectacle just minutes into the attack points to their nexus. Indian media reports conveniently downplayed the fact that this was a terrorist attack on civilians. They immediately went into overdrive and amplified every piece of terrorists’ propaganda.

Again, this did not come as a surprise. An anti-Pakistan narrative coming from India is natural. However, justifying a terrorist group’s actions as resistance is unacceptable. The same media would have certainly been foaming at the mouth and demanding airstrikes if, God forbid, this were a Naxalite hijacking within India. However, it wasted no time to portray terrorism in Pakistan as a "freedom struggle". This hypocrisy must be called out. There should be no justification for targeting innocent fasting passengers, yet the terrorists and their sympathizers have tried to paint this as a political move. No state should tolerate such actions. No media should glorify terrorists. And no one should be under any illusion about what this incident was—a criminal, cowardly act.

This direct provocation aims to test the state’s resolve and demands a full-force response. The only acceptable outcome is the safe return of all hostages and the complete dismantling of terrorists, their handlers, and facilitators. There can be no room for a compromise with terrorists, especially after this incident. The perpetrators must face the music. Moreover, those providing ideological or logistical support to terrorist groups operating in the region must also be identified and held accountable.