The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) that hijacked a Pakistani train – Jaffar Express- and took the passengers as hostages on Tuesday has shared a video online which showed a section of the railway tracks being blown before the train was taken under the control of its fighters.
The video showed the passenger train was passing through the mountainous Sibbi region when the track was blown, halting it.
The video showed huge plumes of black coloured smoke billowing from the first two compartments and the engine of the train.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, an insurgent group that demands Balochistan’s secession from Pakistan, has claimed responsibility for the incident.
The grainy 1 minute and 23 second-long video also showed passengers huddled on the ground with armed rebels keeping a watch over them.
Pakistan Claims 190 Hostages Freed
Meanwhile, Pakistan claimed its security forces, which launched an operation against the rebels and was engaged in an overnight gunfight, had freed 190 hostages so far though BLA earlier in a press release claimed they themselves released civilian passengers including women, children and Baloch nationals. BLA also claimed killing 30 Pakistani soldiers.
According to reports, 400 passengers, mostly security forces, were present in the train when it was targeted by rebels.
Pakistani security forces claimed 30 rebels were also killed in the gunfight.
The operation is still ongoing.
According to security officials, the terrorists have suffered heavy losses in this operation and split into small groups, reported Ary News.
Some injured passengers were taken to hospital.
As per the security forces, the militants are accompanied by suicide bombers and using civilians as human shields, the news channel reported.
Pakistan media reports claimed the attackers are in contact with their ‘facilitators’ in Afghanistan.
An emergency was declared across hospitals in the Sibbi region after the attack.
BLA claimed none of their members died during the operation, and they killed 30 Pakistani soldiers.
Pakistani officials have not confirmed their claim so far.
Railways Halt Train Service In The Area
Following the attack, Pakistan Railways suspended the operation of trains from Punjab and Sindh to Balochistan and vice versa.
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 had been cleared and the law and order situation in Balochistan had normalised.
“We are in touch with the security agencies … but I cannot share what is happening on the ground at the moment,” he said.
BLA Demanding Release Of Political Prisoners
The BLA group has claimed to have killed 30 Pakistani soldiers.
The BLA has demanded the release of Baloch political prisoners and missing persons whom they said were kidnapped by the military.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the incident.
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 the 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.
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)
