27 Passengers Dead After Train Hijacking In Pakistan
March 11th, 2025, close to 350 hostages have been rescued at the end of a deadly fight between Pakistan’s military and armed militants, which hijacked a train, Jaffer Express, in southwestern Baluchistan. Leaving dozens of dead.
By Ana Velasquez March 12th 2025
March 11th, 2025, close to 350 hostages have been rescued at the end of a deadly fight between Pakistan’s military and armed militants, which hijacked a train, Jaffer Express, in southwestern Baluchistan. Leaving dozens of dead.
Passengers from the train sit at Mach railway station after the attack.
The train was taking on a 1,600km route from Quetta to Peshawar city.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack. A total of 27 hostages, including the train driver, were killed by the BLA, as well as four soldiers and at least 35 BLA militants were killed during the rescue operation.
There were around 450 passengers aboard the Jaffer Express when the attack happened, and militants opened “intense gunfire” as the train had travelled through a tunnel in Bolan early on in its journey.
Militants blew up the railway tracks before firing at the train, killing the train driver and trapping the train in the tunnel.
Security soldiers exchanged gunfire with militants who were wearing vests loaded with explosives while having to be cautious of militants using passengers, including women and children as “human shields.”
A passenger Mohammad Ashraf told some news outlets that he saw more than 100 armed individuals on the train and there was no actual harm done to the women and children.
Another passenger said the militants made passenger get off the train and then get down and to leave shortly after.
Bashir Yousaf, who was with his family, said: "Everyone was crying, and passengers were shouting, everyone was lying on the floor trying to save their lives. The sound of gunfire was coming from everywhere, then they (insurgents) told us to get down. After getting off we were told not to look back. I just kept walking without looking back to save my family's lives."
A rescued woman described the scenes of the following the attack comparing it to the “Day of Judgement”, saying she fled gunfire and walked for to hours to reach safety.
Solider keeping watch of area around train hijack.
ISPR director General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated: “Today we freed a large number of people, including woman and children, The final operation was carried out with great care”.
A Pakistan Spokesman called the attack “An act of terrorism” and the security soldiers accused the militants of being in contact with handlers on Afghanistan since Pakistan’s military and government have long accused Afghanistan of providing militant groups sanctuary, which Taliban leaders are denying.
Who is the BLA?
The Baloch Liberation Army is a militant group who committed themselves as a group supporting Baluchistan’s independence from Pakistan and have no middle ground.
It’s been said that in recent years the BLA have conducted more than 150 attacks last year alone.
