LAHORE: Federal Railway Minister Khawaja Syed Rafique on Saturday said the government’s attempts to establish peace should not be mistaken for weakness, DawnNews reported.
Speaking to media representatives at Lahore railway headquarters, the minister said if the attackers feel that by targeting innocent civilians and travellers, they would achieve their desired results, then they are misguided.
The minister's statement came a day after the rocket attack on Rawalpindi-bound Jaffar Express near Balochistan's Bolan, which resulted in at least two deaths. The train had begun its journey from Quetta and eight militants were killed in the resulting search operation near Kolpur. Morevoer, according to unconfirmed reports, two more militants said to be involved in the attack were killed today during the search operation led by Frontier Corps (FC).
Rafique said the government was not in favour of any military operation in Balochistan, but terrorists working in line with the agenda of foreign forces were doing their utmost to destroy the province's peace.
The minister further said that training of Railway Police was underway in order to properly equip them to handle future terror and militant attacks.
Admitting to flaws in the railway system, the minister pledged full security for passengers on trains. He added that four months were not enough to reform the system.
Prior to the attack on Jaffar Express, a bomb exploded in the Karachi-bound Shalimar Express resulting in the death of an infant. That attack had increased the level of apprehension among passengers and authorities alike.
Following the attack on Shalimar Express, the Pakistan Railways intensified security at railway stations in several cities, which included walk through gates, sniffer dogs and CCTV cameras.