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Balochistan Train Hijack: In a harrowing train hijacking in southwestern Pakistan, militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attacked a passenger train carrying 440 people, killing 21 hostages before the Pakistani security forces eliminated all 33 assailants. Officials confirmed on Wednesday that all other passengers were successfully rescued.
Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, attributed the attack to the separatist BLA group and lauded the military’s swift action. “The military operation has successfully reached its logical conclusion,” he stated, emphasizing that no passengers were killed due to the operation. He commended the forces for “averting a potential catastrophe.”
Survivors Recount the Horror
Passengers who managed to escape or were released described moments of sheer terror as gunmen took control of the train. According to survivors, militants went through identity cards, executed soldiers, but allowed some families to go free.
“They asked us to come out of the train one by one. They separated women and asked them to leave. They also spared elders,” Muhammad Naveed, a survivor, told AFP. “They asked us to come outside, saying we will not be harmed. When around 185 people came outside, they chose people and shot them down.”
Babar Masih, a 38-year-old Christian laborer, described a desperate escape with his family through rugged terrain. “Our women pleaded with them, and they spared us,” Masih said. “They told us to get out and not look back. As we ran, I noticed many others running alongside us.”
Another passenger, Noman Ahmed, a steelworker from Punjab’s Gujranwala district, had been traveling home for Eid with his family when the attack unfolded. “When we heard the blast, we dropped to the floor and locked the carriage door, hoping to escape the gunfire,” Ahmed told The New York Times.
Ahmed recounted how the militants separated women and the elderly from the other passengers before forcing them towards a nearby hillside. Injured passengers remained inside the train. “They ordered them to come out,” he said. “When they didn’t, the gunmen went in and shot them all.”
How the Attack Balochistan Train Unfolded
The Jaffer Express, traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, was partially inside a tunnel when militants detonated explosives on the tracks, bringing the engine and nine coaches to a halt.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet least populated province, is rich in oil and minerals. The region is home to the ethnic Baloch minority, which has long accused the central government of discrimination and exploitation. Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been a hotspot for insurgent activity, with separatist groups demanding greater autonomy and a larger share of the region’s resources.
Military personnel frequently use trains to travel from Quetta to other regions. In November, the BLA carried out a suicide bombing at a Quetta train station, killing 26 people.
During this attack, the militants warned that hostages’ lives were at risk if the government refused to negotiate. Analysts believe this shift in strategy could ultimately harm the BLA’s cause. “After failing to damage the Pakistan Army within Balochistan, BLA has shifted its targets from military to unarmed civilians. This may give them instant public and media attention, but it will weaken their support base within the civilian population, which is their ultimate objective,” said Syed Muhammad Ali, an independent security analyst based in Islamabad.
Rescue and Aftermath of Balochistan Attack
Rescued passengers, including women and children, have been sent to their hometowns, while some of the injured were transported to Quetta, located approximately 62 miles away. Authorities continue to investigate the attack as security forces maintain a heightened presence in the region.
Also Read: The Balochistan Story: The Train Hijack That Shook Pakistan
