13-3-2025 (ISLAMABAD) Baloch separatist militants have reportedly executed 50 hostages following a calculated assault on the Jaffar Express, marking one of the deadliest railway attacks in the region’s recent history.
The siege began when members of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) orchestrated a sophisticated ambush, detonating explosives beneath the railway tracks and launching rocket attacks on the passenger train. The incident has thrust the long-simmering Baloch insurgency into the international spotlight, with militants now employing unprecedented tactics to amplify their demands.
Complicating rescue efforts, government officials revealed that the assailants, adorned with suicide vests, have positioned themselves strategically amongst the remaining passengers. Junior Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry described a tense situation where approximately 70 to 80 militants maintain control over the hijacked train, which initially carried more than 400 passengers through the desolate mountain passes.
The militants’ strategy became apparent when they methodically screened passengers, specifically targeting military and security personnel. Security sources confirm at least 11 casualties, including paramilitary troops, though the government claims to have neutralised 30 militant fighters—a figure the BLA disputes.
In a show of force, the Pakistani authorities have mobilised hundreds of troops and deployed helicopter units to the remote location. Despite these efforts, rescue operations remain precarious, with 190 passengers successfully extracted thus far. The militants have issued an ultimatum, threatening further executions unless their demands for the release of Baloch political prisoners and allegedly abducted activists are met within 48 hours.
At Quetta railway station, a grim scene unfolded as nearly 100 empty coffins awaited arrival, while freed passengers reunited with their distraught families. One mother’s passionate plea to a provincial minister encapsulated the public’s anguish: “Why did you allow the train to depart if its safety couldn’t be guaranteed?”
The BLA, the region’s predominant separatist group, has intensified its campaign for greater autonomy and control over Balochistan’s mineral wealth. This latest attack represents a significant shift from their traditionally low-intensity insurgency, prompting railway authorities to suspend services from Punjab and Sindh provinces to Balochistan indefinitely.
Footage purportedly released by the militants via Telegram depicts the initial attack and subsequent passenger roundup, though its authenticity remains unverified. The exact number of hostages still in captivity remains unclear, with the BLA claiming custody of 214 individuals at the outset of the crisis.
