Baloch militants hijack train in Pakistan, over 400 hostages taken

KATHMANDU: In Pakistan’s Balochistan province, over 400 passengers aboard a train were taken hostage by armed militants on Tuesday.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred on the Jafar Express traveling from Quetta to Peshawar.

According to BBC Urdu, military sources reported that 104 passengers have been rescued from the train after the attack.

In the operation to free the hostages, 16 Baloch fighters were killed.

Meanwhile, 80 passengers from the Jafar Express reached Mach railway station, where they are receiving first aid.

According to railway officials, the train had more than 400 passengers across its nine carriages.

Reports suggest that over 30 Pakistani soldiers were killed during the operation.

Pakistani Minister of State for Interior, Talal Chaudhry, confirmed that Baloch forces took many passengers hostage in the mountainous areas.

On Tuesday, a government spokesperson told Dawn newspaper that heavy gunfire had taken place on the train.

The BLA also claimed that they had captured the passengers and several security personnel, warning of serious consequences if military action was taken.

The BLA has given the government 48 hours to negotiate the release of its fighters in exchange for the hostages.

The Baloch Liberation Army is an insurgent group in Balochistan, advocating for an independent state.

The group has been continuously attacking the Pakistani military and is alleged to have the support of Afghanistan and India.

During the India-Pakistan partition, there was a local belief that the region should remain an independent state, but it was annexed into Pakistan through military force.

The Pakistani government listed the BLA as a terrorist organization in 2007.