As Pakistan claims it has successfully ended the hijack of the Quetta-Peshawar Jaffar Express wiping out 33 armed rebels, a minister took time to lash out at Indian media, alleging it was spreading a coordinated narrative regarding the attack. The minister's response comes amid reports, attributed to multiple sources, claiming that the Pakistan Army had sent 200 coffins from Quetta Railway Station to Bolan in Balochistan, where the attack happened.
Both Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Information Minister Atta Tarar took time off their busy day to slam Indian media, alleging that they were engaging in "propaganda" and "spreading a coordinated narrative regarding the attack" with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and political enemy PTI.
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif told reporters that the "flow of misinformation" online and on social media from India "openly displayed the nexus between the terrorists and their masters to the whole world." He also used the opportunity to accuse the PTI of partaking in such activities enthusiastically rather than standing with Pakistan. "Sadly, some elements are sacrificing the national interest due to their lust for political power," he said.
Though the Pakistan ruling class rushed to issue an emergency statement slamming Indian social media, they did not specify the total number of hostages that had been rescued. They also did not address rumours regarding the '200 coffins' that did rounds on Wednesday.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar also criticised the Indian media for "distorting facts" and "pushing a pre-planned narrative to mislead the public."
Meanwhile, a senior security official told Dawn that the rescue was carried out in phases. While over a hundred were freed in the first phase, 80 hostages were rescued in the second phase. Around a dozen passengers, including two railway policemen, also managed to escape their captors and made it safely back to Quetta.