Islamabad, Sep 24: At least a dozen-odd people, including women and children, were injured in a bombing attack on Jafar Express in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

The Quetta-bound Jaffar Express was targeted in the Spizend area of Mastung on Tuesday, latest in a series of attacks that have targetted this train since March this year.

According to railway officials, six bogies of the train coming from Peshawar derailed after the blast and one overturned, injuring several of the passengers in that carriage in the evening, reported Dawn.

It was the second blast in the same area within 10 hours.

Earlier in the morning, an explosion had occurred near the main track linking Balochistan to the rest of the country, just as the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was preparing to leave Quetta Railway Station.

The train was briefly halted but allowed to continue after security clearance, as the track was not damaged.

However, in the evening, an explosive device planted on the track detonated when the Quetta-bound train was passing through the Spizend area, police officials said.

“Six bogies of the Jaffar Express derailed after the blast and one of them overturned,” a senior Pakistan Railways official told Dawn, adding that five passengers sustained injuries.

Security forces and police rushed to the site soon after the blast and shifted the injured to a nearby health facility.

The railway officials confirmed 270 passengers were on board at the time of the blast. They said the damaged part of the track would be repaired after security clearance on Wednesday, during which train service would remain suspended.

The Jafar Express, which runs between Quetta and Peshawar, has been repeatedly targeted in recent months with the attack in March being the worst.

On August 10, four people were injured when an improvised explosive device derailed six coaches of the Peshawar-bound Jafar Express in the Mastung district.

On August 7, the train narrowly escaped a disaster near Balochistan’s Sibi railway station, where a bomb planted near the track exploded just after the passenger train had passed.

In another incident, on August 4, gunmen fired five bullets at its pilot engine near Kolpur. The separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the latter attack.

In June, a remotely controlled explosive device fitted to rail tracks exploded, causing four bogies of the Jaffar Express to derail in Jacobabad.

On March 11, the Jaffar Express was hijacked while traveling from Quetta to Peshawar in the Bolan area, resulting in the deaths of 21 passengers and four security personnel. The security forces in a targeted operation killed 33 terrorists involved in attacking the train.

It is believed that ethnic Baloch terrorist groups carry out such attacks.

A July 28 derailment of the same train in Sindh province’s Sukkur was initially attributed to an explosion but the Ministry of Railways later said it was due to a technical fault.

United Nations, Sep 24:  A day after France led other nations in recognizing Palestinian statehood, the UN Security Council once again aired a deep divide between the veto-wielding United States and most of the rest of the world over how to end the war in the Gaza Strip and resolve the Mideast conflict.

At a special session to discuss the crisis, one representative after another expressed horror at Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and Israel’s ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed vast areas and displaced around 90% of the population, many of them starving. Most nations called for an immediate ceasefire and an influx of humanitarian aid.

“Gaza has become a graveyard for humanity as well as for the global conscience,” said Pakistan’s foreign minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar. “The time for words has passed. The time for action is now.”

But no such action is expected from the world body, where the United States has shielded Israel from numerous calls for a ceasefire. Last week, it voted against the other 14 members of the Security Council on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages.

The United States said the resolution did not go far enough in condemning Hamas. Washington is also opposed to the latest moves to recognize Palestinian statehood. As a permanent member of the Security Council, it could block any path to full Palestinian membership in the world body.

The context

The Security Council meeting once again reflected the deep isolation that Israel and its closest ally, the United States, face when it comes to growing international demands for accountability and an end to Israel’s war in Gaza.

Since world leaders began arriving in New York on Monday, the topic of Gaza and Palestinian statehood has towered over other diplomatic discussion, with a two-state solution conference kicking off the week of gatherings. Country after country, including most U.S. allies, used their time in the General Assembly, the Security Council and in bilateral meetings across the U.N. campus to bring attention to the growing civilian death toll and the impact the nearly two-year long war has had on Palestinian children.

During the council meeting, Israel was not present due to the Jewish new year. The Americans, who have a top-level delegation in town, sent their U.N. ambassador to represent them instead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

But even before heads of state and government came to Manhattan, the Security Council has held 80 meetings on the war in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. During those sessions, both Biden and Trump administration officials have vetoed or rejected resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire, saying that the messages of support by the 14 other members do not go far enough.

The consistent obstructions have frustrated the U.N.’s most powerful body and have called into question its relevance and efficiency if one permanent member can continue to veto efforts that have near-unanimous support.

The players’ responses

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz said it was “regrettable” that the council convened Tuesday’s meeting on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana, a decision that he said had excluded Israel.

“This charade is disappointing,” Waltz said of the meeting. “It is clearly fueled by domestic politics and it has given Hamas a reward for refusing to surrender, as well as an incentive” to keep holding 48 hostages, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.

He said the Security Council should instead focus on eliminating Hamas. He blamed international action in support of the Palestinians for the breakdown of ceasefire talks in recent weeks, and not an Israeli strike on Hamas negotiators in Qatar, a key mediator, which was condemned by several members of the council.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted he might take unilateral action — like annexing parts of the West Bank — in response to the push for Palestinian statehood. Any such action is expected to come next week, after he pays his fourth visit to the White House since President Donald Trump returned to office.

For other U.S. allies, including countries with close ties to Israel, the frustration is clearly mounting.

“The war in Gaza must end. The Security Council, as the body responsible for international peace and security, should be able to make these demands. Indeed, this should be the bare minimum that we can do,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said at Tuesday’s meeting. “Last week, 14 members of this council were willing to do this. We hope that this can soon become all 15.”

The worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza reverberated through the chambers of the United Nations, as Secretary-General António Guterres and leaders from across the Arab world pressed for urgent international action to end the bloodshed and restore stability in the region.

Briefing the Security Council on Tuesday, Guterres described the conflict as “one of the darkest chapters of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” nearly two years after Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel killed more than 1,200 civilians, including foreign nationals, and led to over 250 hostages being taken. Israel’s subsequent military response, he said, has left Gaza in ruins.

According to UN estimates, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and tens of thousands injured, while about 1.9 million people — nearly 90 percent of the population — have been displaced, many of them multiple times. “Violence and instability are spreading beyond Gaza, threatening to engulf the region,” the Secretary-General warned, while calling for renewed commitment to diplomacy and a two-State solution.

Qatar Condemns Israeli Strike, Warns of Regional Consequences

Taking the General Assembly floor, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sharply criticized a recent Israeli strike in Doha that allegedly targeted a Hamas negotiating team, calling it a violation of Qatari sovereignty and “an act of state terrorism.”

He warned that such actions “undermine any diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the genocide against the people in Gaza,” and stressed the need for coordinated mediation with Egypt and the United States to secure a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian access, and the release of hostages. “The international community must uphold UN legitimacy and collective security,” Sheikh Tamim urged.

Jordan Calls Gaza ‘Darkest Moment in UN’s History’

Jordan’s King Abdullah II echoed the urgency, telling world leaders that the conflict represents “one of the darkest moments in this institution’s history.”

He said Palestinians continue to be denied their rights and dignity “yet again,” and demanded a permanent ceasefire coupled with robust humanitarian aid. “Condemnations alone are not enough. The world must act,” King Abdullah said.

Lebanon Seeks Political Track, Two-State Solution

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun underscored that the crisis “cannot be viewed in isolation,” urging a revival of political efforts anchored in international legitimacy and the two-State solution.

“It is our moral, human and political obligation to call for an immediate end to the devastation taking place in Gaza,” Aoun told the Assembly. He pointed out that 142 nations had already endorsed the New York Declaration calling for a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue.

Guterres Warns Against Missing ‘Fragile Moment’

Back at the Security Council, Guterres noted “a glimmer of hope” with the resumption of a high-level conference on a two-State solution and recent moves by countries including France and the United Kingdom to recognize Palestinian statehood.

“We cannot let this fragile moment slip away,” the UN chief emphasized, stressing that only diplomacy, adherence to international law, and respect for human dignity could pave the way toward a just and lasting peace.