��������

QUETTA: An improvised explosive device (IED) blast on Tuesday derailed five coaches of Quetta-bound Jaffar Express train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, officials and rescue workers said.

The latest bomb attack on the passenger train took place in Dasht area of Balochistan’s Mastung district, when it was heading to the provincial capital of Quetta from Peshawar in the country’s northwest.

Muhammad Kamran, an Edhi volunteer, told Arab News that two passengers received minor injuries in the incident, who were shifted to hospital. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Five coaches of Jaffar Express were derailed and one of them completely overturned after a powerful blast hit the train,” Imran Hayat, the Quetta divisional superintendent of Pakistan Railways, told Arab News.

“All passengers were evacuated and relief operation is continued along with the district administration.”

This is the fifth attack on passenger trains and railway track in Pakistan’s Balochistan since August.

On Aug. 10, a bomb attack targeted Jaffar Express and derailed five coaches near Quetta, while in March this year, fighters belonging to the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) stormed the same train with hundreds of passengers on board and took them hostage. The military rescued them after an hours-long operation that left 33 militants, 23 soldiers, three railway staff and five passengers dead.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwestern province that borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces and foreigners, and kidnap government officials.

Pakistan Railways says it has beefed up security arrangements for passenger trains in the province and increased the number of paramilitary troops on Jaffar Express since the hijacking in March, but militants have continued to target buses and trains in the restive region.

Separatist groups operating in the region accuse the central government of stealing their resources to fund development elsewhere in the country. The Pakistani government denies the allegations and says it is working for the uplift of local communities in Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD: Hungary will grant 400 scholarships to Pakistani students under education cooperation between both countries, the Pakistani foreign office said on Tuesday.

The statement came after a meeting between Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Both figures reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening Pakistan-Hungary bilateral ties on the eve of 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, including by exploring new avenues of cooperation.

“DPM/FM thanked the Hungarian FM for the provision of 400 scholarships to Pakistani students,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.

“The Hungarian FM expressed his government’s commitment to continue supporting education cooperation opportunities for Pakistani students in Hungary.”

During the meeting, both officials agreed to finalize abolition of visas for Pakistani diplomatic and official passport holders, mutual investments, civil aviation cooperation and initiation of direct flight operations between Pakistan and Hungary.

Dar told Szijjarto about the steps undertaken by the Pakistani government to facilitate Hungarian investments in Pakistan. The two leaders also discussed regional and international peace and security.

Szijjarto’s visit to Pakistan along with a business delegation in April saw the signing of the agreement to abolish visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders, along with two memorandums of understanding in the fields of culture and archaeology.

The visit came Islamabad’s push to attract investment from European countries in its priority sectors to achieve sustainable growth after pursuing multiple agreements with regional allies, including Gulf countries.