LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) on Tuesday temporarily suspended its entire operations from Punjab and Sindh to Balochistan and vice versa, following the terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express.

PR Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch told Dawn that passenger and freight trains would remain suspended until security and law enforcement agencies notified them that the area has been cleared and the law and order situation in Balochistan has normalised.

`We are in touch with the security agencies... but I cannot share what is happening on the ground at the moment,` he said, while praying for the safety of all passengers, crew members and others concerned.

The official said that railway teams, at the request of the concerned authorities, had also arranged for a special train to transport security forces officials from Sibi to the area where the attack took place.

Meanwhile, the Jaffar Express (down) left Lahore around 5:30pm on Tuesday and will terminate at Sukkur/Rohri.

`It will not move further for Quetta, as the security situation is not good,` Lahore Deputy Station Manager Muhammad Asif told Dawn.

He said the PR cancelled two trains Shah Hussain Express and Pak Business Train due to low reservations. `Passengers who had confirmed reservations for these trains were accommodated in the Karakoram and Karachi express trains,` he said.