Members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the group that wants Balochistan to be free from Pakistan, attacked the Jaffar Express in Mach area on Tuesday and claimed they have hijacked the train.
According to railway sources, terrorists opened fire on the Peshawar-Quetta Jaffar Express, leaving the driver with severe injuries, reported Ary News.
Emergency has been declared in hospitals across Sibbi district.
Some local media reports claimed the driver was killed in the attack.
“There are reports of intense firing at a Jaffar Express [train], which was heading from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar,” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said in a statement as quoted by Dawn News.
According to reports, 500 passengers are travelling in the train.
“The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8. Efforts are being made to contact the passengers and staff,” Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif told the Pakistani newspaper.
Sources told Geo News that the assailants blew up a railway track and later opened fire on the train.
Security personnel were present on the train, and attackers exchanged gunfire after the attack.
Several ambulances have been rushed to the spot.
BLA in a media statement meanwhile said they have taken 182 hostages and killed 11 Pakistan Army personnel. They claimed they have shot down a drone. The hostages are from Army, Police ISI and ATF, they claimed.
BLA said they have released safely civilian passengers, women, children and Baloch residents.
BLA And Balochistan
Several insurgent groups, mostly by BLA, often target Pakistani government, army and Chinese interests in the region.
They claim the Pakistani government is unfairly exploiting the region’s rich mineral and gas resources.
The region is home to one of world’s largest deep-sea ports in Gwadar.
It is considered crucial for the country’s regional and global trade routes.
Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station, reported Dawn News.
Balochistan is considered to be strategically crucial since it shares international borders with Iran to the west and Afghanistan to the north.
(With inputs from IBNS)
