In a bizarre incident, Pakistan has declared that a train is hijacked. The train with over 400 passengers aboard was travelling from Quetta in Balochistan province to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it came under attack. More than hundreds of passengers were taken hostage. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has taken responsibility for the hijack. According to the BLA, six Pakistani soldiers were also killed during the incident.
“The Baloch Liberation Army has carried out a strategic operation in Mashkaf, Dhadar, Bolan, seizing control of the Jaffar Express by derailing it. During the resistance, six military personnel were killed, while over 100 passengers have been taken into BLA custody,” BLA said in a statement.
The train, Jaffar Express, was travelling from Quetta (Balochistan) to Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) when it was hijacked. The militants blew up railway tracks, forcing the train to stop, and then entered the train. A BLA spokesperson warned that the hostages would be killed if Pakistan’s military tried to launch an operation against them.
Pakistan Security forces have reached the site of the train hijack in Bolan district, Balochistan. The Government has declared an emergency and is mobilizing resources to handle the situation.
Balochistan has been a conflict zone for decades, with Baloch groups frequently attacking the Pakistani Government, army, and even Chinese projects. These groups say that Pakistan is exploiting Balochistan’s vast natural resources, such as gas and minerals, without benefiting the local people. According to Baloch, Pakistan has provided Baloch’s resources and land for Chinese exploitation, and any project is not benefitting the local population. Baloch has time and again said to merge with India due to constant exploitation from the Pakistani Government and Chinese presence.
Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan in terms of land area, making up about 44% of the country. However, it has the smallest population. The province also has Gwadar, a deep-sea port that Pakistan considers strategically important for trade.
Located in southwestern Pakistan, Balochistan shares borders with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Iran, Afghanistan, and the Arabian Sea. The Baloch people, an ethnic group native to this region, have long felt neglected by the Pakistani Government. They claim that despite the province’s wealth in natural resources, they remain poor and underdeveloped. Many Baloch groups demand either greater autonomy or complete independence from Pakistan. This has led to ongoing conflicts and constant dissatisfaction in the form of violence and incidents like train hijack.
