Aftab Iqbal slammed for glorifying Jaffar Express terrorists

Journalists and social media activists have slammed  YouTuber and former TV host Aftab Iqbal for glorifying the terrorists who had hijacked the Jaffar Express on Tuesday in Balochistan’s Bolan district.

Speaking on his YouTuber channel on Wednesday, the former TV host, while using the term “neutralise” for the brave Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers, said, “They (militants) were aware that FC personnel were at the top, surveilling the entire area. The way they (FC soldiers) were skillfully neutralised was beyond anyone’s imagination.”

Iqbal further claimed that the location that the terrorists chose for hijacking the train was an “ideal site”. He said, “Skillfully, tunnel No. 8 was chosen so that the train’s front and rear both remained inside the tunnel when it stopped. The explosion used to stop the train was also executed with exceptional expertise.”

He described the terrorist attack on the train as a "well-planned military operation" rather than an act of terror by an extremist group, adding, “The incident was not done by some small separatist, militant, or extremist group; there is proper military planning and strategy behind it.”

Journalists and activists hit out at Iqbal after clips from his vlog went viral. Prominent journalist and political talk show host Muneeb Farooq took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Wow, Aftab Sahib, wow. Brilliant selection of words ‘neutralize’, ‘exceptional skill’—such glorification of the BLA animals. The mental state you are in makes a person act this way only when they are completely invested in a particular agenda or ideology. Thank God that your so-called ‘highly skilled’ BLA filth was eliminated like stray dogs yesterday by the brave soldiers of the Pakistan Army and FC.”

In a post on X, while sharing the short clip of Aftab Iqbal, journalist Waseem Abbasi wrote in the caption, “How delightfully Aftab Iqbal is praising the terrorists… Even the martyrdom of FC personnel is being referred to as ‘neutralised.’… A truly shameful act.”

A social media activist opined, “So-called journalists like Aftab Iqbal are not only betraying the blood of our martyrs by portraying… terrorists as heroes but are also promoting the enemy’s narrative… They are spewing venom against Pakistan. The time has come to hold these digital terrorists accountable and expose their sinister agendas.”

Speaking to a private media channel on Wednesday night, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry announced the completion of the two-day-long operation against the terrorists.

He said that security forces eliminated all 33 Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists who had hijacked the Jaffar Express, which was carrying more than 400 passengers — who were taken hostage on Tuesday noon.

“Whoever did this will be hunted down and brought to justice," said Lt Gen Chaudhry, adding that the suicide bombers using hostages as human shields and were taken out by snipers.

He revealed that the terrorists martyred 21 passengers before the clearance operation had commenced. Furthermore, four FC personnel were also martyred during the attack in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district.