RAWALPINDI: To protect trains in Balochistan from terrorist activity, Pakistan Railways has installed eight explosive jammers on Jaffar Express, which runs between Rawalpindi and Quetta.

The decision came after recent bomb blasts in trains in which six people were killed and 17 other critically injured.

Another explosion targeted the track of Khushal Khan Khattak Express near Rajanpur in Multan Division on January 17.

After receiving intelligence reports about more such activities specially on Quetta route, the railway authorities decided to install explosive jammers on Jaffar express.

“The law enforcement agencies were also using this train for Quetta and this step will not only save passengers but the government officials as well,” said a senior official of Railways requesting not to be mentioned his name.

Jaffar Express is a revenue generating train for Pakistan Railways as two trains ply on the track from Quetta-Rawalpindi and Rawalpindi-Quetta.

It generated Rs423,160 daily from this train from one side.The ticket for economy class is Rs1,600, for air-conditioner sleeper Rs4,410, for AC-Business Rs4410 and for AC standard and Rs4020.

Jaffar Express’s all the seats were booked two days before and in a rare case, there was a single seat vacant otherwise, no vacant seat was available in the train.

A senior official of Railways told Dawn that the first train with explosive jammers left the garrison city on Friday. He said that the jammers were imported on the request of a sensitive agency.

He said that the Pakistan Railways planned to install such jammers in other trains in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa and Karachi also. He maintained that for this purpose, heavy funding was required and the federal government was likely to help out the organisation.

He said that hunters travel from Rawalpindi to Rahim Yar Khan in trains along with their arms and ammunition as they could not use air planes for security reasons.

He said therefore the security of these trains was priority of Pakistan Railways because in case of any terror activity, the explosive material in the trains would prove disastrous.

He said that for the security of railway stations, the authorities had already installed Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras and metal detectors and for Rawalpindi Railway Station, the US had donated the CCTV cameras and metal detectors.

When contacted, Pakistan Railways Divisional Superintendent Syed Munawar Shah said that the security of the train was the responsibility of Pakistan Railways Police. “For the security of the trains, the railway authorities have taken some measures,” he said.

He said that the basic purpose of the Pakistan Railways was to provide secure and comfortable traveling facilities to the passengers and in this regard, the railways was taking a number of steps.

He said that the time table of the trains had gradually been improved and the performance of locomotives were up to mark as compared to previous years. He said that the earning of the organisation was also improving and more facilities to be added in trains.