Pakistan Train Hijack: Around 150 Military Personnel Killed By BLA, Says Baloch Activist Mama Qadeer To News18

Last Updated:March 11, 2025, 22:00 IST

According to Qadeer, the insurgents learnt that many army personnel on leave for Eid were travelling by this train. They were separated from the others and then killed

Security forces have been deployed after the Jaffar Express train hijacking. (Image/Agencies)

The separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Tuesday attacked and took control of a train in Pakistan, holding 182 passengers hostage. In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, Balochistan activist Mama Qadeer Baloch claimed that around 150 military personnel travelling by the Jaffar Express were killed by the militants during the operation.

“BLA has made several similar attempts in their bid for independence. They have taken many people captive in the past too," he said. “They learnt that many army personnel on leave for Eid were travelling by this train. They were separated from the others and then killed. Around 150 soldiers were killed…This is the biggest such operation of its kind."

The Jaffar Express, with hundreds of passengers on board in nine bogies, was on its way from Quetta in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it came under attack.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which is fighting for independence of Balochistan and accuses outsiders of exploiting the region’s wealth, claimed responsibility for the attack.

BLA fighters blew the railway tracks and forced the train to stop, after which they boarded it.

News world Pakistan Train Hijack: Around 150 Military Personnel Killed By BLA, Says Baloch Activist Mama Qadeer To News18