At least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were martyred and several others critically injured in a terrorist attack near the Chaman Phatak area of Quetta, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed on Sunday.

“The deliberate targeting of civilians, which included women, children, and ordinary passengers among the affected, highlights how these elements intentionally attack soft civilian targets to spread fear and instability rather than confront the state directly,” the military’s media wing added.

It stated that the attack “reflects the desperation of anti-Pakistan terrorist proxies seeking to disturb peace and create panic through indiscriminate violence against innocent people during a period of improving stability and normalcy.”

According to the ISPR, security forces and law enforcement agencies responded immediately to the site, cordoned off the area, initiated investigations, and are actively pursuing all facilitators and perpetrators involved in the attack.

Further, the media wing stated that the martyrdom of the FC personnel while protecting civilians “reinforces the continued sacrifices being rendered by Pakistan’s security forces to safeguard public life against externally backed terrorist violence.”

Concluding the statement, the ISPR stated that such attacks cannot weaken public resolve, as the people of Pakistan, particularly the citizens of Balochistan, continue to reject terrorism and stand with the state and security institutions against enemies of peace and stability.

According to police, the explosion occurred at approximately 8:15am near Chaman Phatak when a train was passing through the area. Railway officials said terrorists targeted the train, causing a fire to erupt in one of the bogies.

Fire brigade and rescue teams reached the site and initiated relief operations, while the injured were shifted to Civil Hospital, BMC, and other trauma centres where an emergency was declared.

According to authorities, women and children remain among those injured, while the condition of five injured persons is said to be critical.

According to sources, most of the passengers aboard the train were travelling to their native areas for the Eidul Azha holidays.

The explosion was so intense that the windows of nearby buildings and residential flats were shattered, while several vehicles also caught fire. According to police, a husband, wife, and their 13-year-old daughter residing in a nearby flat were also martyred in the explosion. Eyewitnesses said the sound of the blast was heard from far away, after which severe panic spread throughout the area.

Following the incident, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation to determine the nature of the explosion. Checkpoints have been established at the city’s entry and exit points, and the checking process has been further tightened.

Further, train service on the affected track has been suspended, while railway heavy machinery remains engaged in clearing debris and restoring the track so that movement can be resumed as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reached Quetta following the attack, chairing a special meeting alongside Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, the Interior Ministry announced on X.

According to the ministry, during the meeting, the inspector general of Balochistan police presented an initial report on the blast. Law enforcement officers were also present in the meeting.

“The meeting strongly condemned the cowardly attack on innocent people,” the ministry wrote. In a separate post, it added that CM Bugti expressed his gratitude to Naqvi, saying that the interior minister has stood with Balochistan in every difficult time.

“We are indebted to the blood of the martyrs,” Bugti said. He also noted that the families of the martyrs will not be abandoned.

Further, the CM stated that he is personally overseeing the treatment and care of those injured.

President Asif Ali Zardari

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the terrorist attack and vowed decisive defeat of the perpetrators and their networks.

Expressing deep grief over the loss of innocent lives, President Zardari said such acts of terrorism are aimed at harming the people of Pakistan and diverting attention from the country’s efforts for global peace, according to a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat.

President Zardari stated that “elements hostile to Pakistan are attempting to undermine our initiatives that serve broader humanitarian objectives, global peace and progress,” adding that “terrorists and their patrons are also seeking to disrupt Pakistan’s focus on stability and development.”

The president noted that “there should be no doubt that Pakistan will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens,” adding that the country would “thwart every conspiracy against peace, stability and national security.”

Further, President Zardari stated that Pakistan will “neither forget nor forgive the terrorists and their patrons.”

Stating that the blood of the martyrs will not go in vain and every drop will be accounted for, he urged the world to recognise the true face of terrorists and their patrons who are attempting, unsuccessfully, to derail Pakistan’s global peace efforts.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the “heinous bomb explosion,” stating, “Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan.”

In a post on X, PM Shehbaz reaffirmed, “We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”

The premier also expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, praying for the swift recovery of those injured.

“The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief,” PM Shehbaz concluded his statement.

Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti also condemned the attack, saying that the “terrorists of Fitna Al-Hindustan are proving their savagery by targeting innocent civilians, women, and children.”

He added, “Those who shed the blood of innocent people deserve no leniency.”

CM Bugti also issued a warning to terrorist elements in the region, saying “Let the enemy hear this: there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan. We will hunt down the terrorists, their facilitators, and their masterminds one by one and bring them to justice, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated.”

CM Adviser Shahid Rind

Adviser to the Chief Minister Balochistan for Political and Media Affairs Shahid Rind said terrorists carried out a cowardly act by targeting unarmed civilians, women, and children. He added that attacks on public places are proof of the terrorists’ panic and that the blood of the martyrs will not go in vain.

Rind noted that CM Bugti is personally monitoring the situation.

Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar

Further, according to Provincial Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar, an emergency has been declared at all major hospitals in the city, while doctors, paramedical staff, and medical personnel are providing medical assistance to the injured.

Governor K-P Faisal Karim Kundi

Governor Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Faisal Karim Kundi expressed sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives in “this heinous act of terrorism.”

“Such attacks by anti-state elements cannot and will not shake Pakistan’s resolve or disturb our pursuit of peace and stability,” Kundi said in a statement on X. He added, “We remain resolute, united, and firmly standing shoulder to shoulder with our armed forces in the complete eradication of terrorism from our homeland.”

Chief Minister K-P Sohail Afridi

Chief Minister K-P Sohail Afridi also expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to those martyred in the “cowardly act of terrorism.” He added that the attack was “a serious crime against humanity.”

“Targeting innocent civilians reflects open brutality and the failed mindset of anti-peace elements,” the chief minister stated.

“Terrorism is not a challenge for any single province or region but a shared challenge for the entire country,” he said, noting that a joint and sustained strategy is essential for the complete eradication of terrorism.

CM Afridi noted that the government and people of K-P stand with the people of Balochistan, offering prayers for the elevated ranks of the martyrs and for the speedy recovery of those injured.

Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam

Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam took to X to “categorically and with the strongest words” condemn the “cowardly and heinous” attack personally, on behalf of the Government of Iran.

“Terrorism is a condemnable phenomenon in all its forms all over the world,” the ambassador said.

He added, “The malicious and mischievous acts against the civil transportation infrastructure that serve for the human development and the smooth movements of the passengers and consignments needed for the development of trade, are examples of crimes against humanity and reflect the malicious, infirm and inhumane minds of the perpetrators, founders and supporters of this heinous phenomenon.”

The ambassador expressed “heartfelt and sincere condolences” to the Government and people of Pakistan, “especially to the bereaved families who lost loved ones.”

UK High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott

The United Kingdom’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott stated that she was “absolutely appalled” by the “cowardly terrorist attack” in a statement on X.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the martyrs and their families,” Marriott said.

Read: Security forces kill TTP commander in Balochistan’s Pishin

On Saturday, nine suspected terrorists were killed, and four Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials were martyred during a gun battle on the outskirts of Quetta.

The high-stakes intelligence-based operation was carried out by the CTD and allied security forces in the suburban localities of Kuchlak and Nohsar.

Terrorism is a growing problem for Pakistan, with the number of attacks rising every year since 2022, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a global monitoring organisation.

Data from ACLED shows attacks in Pakistan rose nearly fourfold to 2,425 in 2025 from 658 in 2022 and over the same period, attacks by the banned militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan increased more than sevenfold to 838 from 118.

Although Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has borne the brunt of terrorism, Balochistan has also remained a major target of Indian proxies, which often target civilians and military installations in the province.