Militants Claim 214 Hostages Taken After Train Hijacking in Pakistan
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group in Pakistan's Balochistan province, has announced that it has taken 214 hostages, including military personnel, following the hijacking of a train. This incident highlights the worsening security situation in the country.
The group reportedly sabotaged the railway tracks and opened fire on the Jaffar Express as it passed through a tunnel in a remote mountainous area, forcing the train to stop. The train was en route from Quetta in Balochistan to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday afternoon, carrying around 400 passengers. Local authorities confirmed that the train was immobilized in the tunnel and that the driver was seriously injured, but they did not verify the BLA's claims about the hostages.
The BLA stated that it had killed 30 military personnel and captured 214 military and police personnel, labeling them as "prisoners of war." They claimed that all civilian passengers were allowed to leave the train safely. The Balochistan government, however, denied the presence of military officers on the train. Unofficial sources indicated that over 150 security personnel were indeed on board.
By Tuesday night, the BLA maintained control over the train and hostages, claiming to be in a fierce standoff with the Pakistani military and air force. The group threatened to execute the hostages if military actions continued. They proposed a prisoner exchange, giving the Pakistani government 48 hours to release Baloch political prisoners and other detainees, warning that failure to comply would result in the execution of hostages and destruction of the train.
A railway official mentioned that communication with the train staff had not been established and confirmed the driver's severe injuries. Additional trains were dispatched to assist with rescue efforts, but challenging terrain and poor network coverage hindered progress.
Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, stated that the scale of the incident and potential terrorist involvement were under investigation. Emergency measures have been ordered, and all relevant institutions are on high alert. Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the attack, stating that those who harm innocent passengers deserve no leniency.
Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and poorest province, has been plagued by violent separatist movements for decades. The region, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, has long felt marginalized by the central government and has endured a harsh counter-insurgency campaign, resulting in numerous deaths and disappearances. The militancy has intensified in recent years, partly due to the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan. The BLA has increased its activities, frequently setting up checkpoints and blocking roads in the province.
The group has been linked to several recent high-profile attacks, including the killing of seven Punjabi travelers in February and a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station last November that resulted in 26 deaths, including 14 soldiers. Chinese projects in the area have also been targeted, such as a suicide bombing at Karachi airport last October that killed several Chinese workers.