Quetta: All passengers taken hostage by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) insurgents in southwestern Pakistan have been rescued, a senior military official confirmed. The high-risk military operation resulted in the deaths of 33 militants, 21 hostages, and 4 soldiers.
The operation began on Tuesday afternoon when the Jaffar Express, carrying around 400 passengers, was derailed using explosives and hijacked by militants. The train was en route from Quetta to Peshawar when the attackers struck.
The BLA claimed responsibility for the assault and released a video showing the explosion followed by gunmen emerging from the surrounding mountainous terrain. The group had issued a 48-hour ultimatum, threatening to execute hostages unless authorities released Baloch political prisoners, activists, and missing persons.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised security forces for successfully neutralizing the militants and rescuing the remaining passengers. Calling the attack a “tragic and heartbreaking incident,” he condemned the use of women and children as human shields. “Terrorists are a burden on this land, and their facilitators will be dealt with an iron hand,” he said.
The BLA and other Baloch insurgent groups have frequently targeted railway infrastructure in the region. In the past, militants have used rockets and remote-controlled bombs to attack railway tracks.
In October last year, Pakistan Railways restored train services between Quetta and Peshawar after a six-week suspension. However, just a month later, a suicide blast at Quetta Railway Station left at least 26 dead and 62 injured.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been a hotspot for insurgency. Separatist groups regularly launch attacks on security forces, government projects, and the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the resource-rich province.
