Bid to destroy rail track in Jhelum foiled

Terrorist blows himself

ISLAMABAD: A suspected terrorist blew himself up after exchanging fire with the police in Domeli Mor area of Jhelum on Thursday morning.

According to a news report, the terrorist who attempted to plant explosives on railway tracks near the Grand Trunk Road blew himself up when the police approached him. Police sources said that a citizen had reported a suspicious individual to the Motorway Police.

When the police approached him, the terrorist exchanged fire before blowing himself up with a hand grenade, the police said. They said that they recovered a hand grenade and two pistols from the encounter scene.

A heavy contingent of police along with the district police officer reached the site of the explosion and cordoned off the area. Later, a search operation was carried out.

Meanwhile, two bogies of the Jaffar Express were partially damaged in an explosion near the railway tracks in the Mithri area of Balochistan’s Sibi district. The Jaffar Express was travelling from Quetta to Lahore when the blast occurred, destroying two feet of the railway track. Railways service between Balochistan and other parts of the country was suspended as result of the blast.

There was no loss of life. Rescue and security personnel reached the blast site.Railways technical staff was called to ensure immediate repair of the track.Sibi is a major railway junction about 400 miles southwest of Islamabad. Several attacks on trains/railway tracks and other installations have taken place in the area during the past few years.

Pakistani train travelers are usually among the country’s least well-off, and often face laborious journeys in ageing carriages, along a network prone to serious delays.