Defence Minister Khawaja Asif Criticizes PTI for ‘Politicizing’ Jaffar Express Hijacking
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Thursday strongly criticized the PTI for “politicizing” the recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Balochistan and for misrepresenting the incident on social media.
The hijacking took place on Tuesday afternoon when the train, traveling from Quetta to Peshawar with 440 passengers onboard, was attacked by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists. The assailants opened fire on the train and took passengers hostage, prompting security forces to launch a two-day-long rescue operation.
On Wednesday evening, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry confirmed that the operation had concluded, resulting in the elimination of 33 terrorists. He also reported that 21 passengers and four Frontier Corps personnel had lost their lives in the attack, but no hostages were harmed during the final rescue phase.
During his speech today, which lasted over half an hour, Asif remarked, “The entire world stands with Pakistan—except PTI.”
He further stated, “They are turning the Jaffar Express incident into a political issue when it should be a moment of national concern for 250 million Pakistanis.”
Asif criticized PTI’s social media response, calling it deeply disappointing. He noted that instead of showing unity during a crisis, PTI focused on highlighting the government’s shortcomings.
Taking a jab at Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan, Asif said, “Those who mock us over Form-47 come from a lineage that imposed three martial laws and were the first to violate Pakistan’s Constitution.”
He accused former dictators of depriving the people of their right to vote and concentrating power among a select few.
“When PTI leaders speak, it worries me because it seems they have erased history from their memories,” he added.
Asif also condemned the previous PTI-led government for relocating thousands of militants from the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) back into the country.
“During their four years in power, PTI leaders, along with Gen Bajwa and Gen Faiz, were briefed that bringing these terrorists back and rehabilitating them would be beneficial for Pakistan,” he stated.
He emphasized that until politicians acknowledge the mistakes made over the past 76-77 years, the country cannot move forward.
The minister further accused PTI of orchestrating social media campaigns and directing its workers to spread abusive language online.
As the rescue operation was ongoing, PTI officials took to social media to criticize the government and the establishment.
A post from the X account of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan, which he does not operate himself, stated:
“The primary role of intelligence agencies is to protect borders and counter terrorism. If they remain occupied with political engineering and dismantling PTI, then who will safeguard the borders?”
PTI’s official X account also shared multiple posts accusing the government of negligence.
Referring to the violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, where PTI is in power, Asif said, “My brothers in Parachinar have been holding a banner for the last four months. Has there been peace there?”
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