Pakistan Train Hijack LIVE: 16 Terrorists Killed, 104 Hostages Rescued; 214 Still In Captivity

Pakistani separatist militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for attacking a train in southwestern Pakistan on Tuesday and said they have taken scores of hostages, including security personnel who were on the train on leave and threatened to kill them.

The BLA is one of the strongest insurgent groups operating out of Balochistan and one of its key demands has been to carve out a separate Baloch state out of Pakistan. It is active in the area bordering Afghanistan and Iran, a mineral-rich region that is home to Beijing’s investment in Gwadar deep water port and other key projects, like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Major Gen GD Bakshi (Retd), while speaking to ANI, said the Pakistan Army has a style of showing off by bringing in artillery and said the military may end up killing several civilians in its attempt to rescue hostages from the Jaffar Express train captured by BLA militants.

“These are precision operations which our NSG carries out very well, but the Pak Army has a style to show off and bring major artillery. I think that the Pakistan army will carry out a ham-handed operation which may kill many civilians,” he said. ” I think the time for the birth of Balochistan has come.”

Reacting to the train attack in Balochistan, Major General (retd) GD Bakshi cast doubt on the Pakistani Army’s ability to rescue hostages without casualties and said that Balochistan was “out of control of Pakistan” due to a rise in militant attacks.

“There is a demoralisation in the Pakistan Army. The train hijack in Balochistan is very significant. A train has 450-500 people, and they have taken them as hostages,” he told ANI. “Hostage rescue is a very delicate operation. I don’t think that the Pakistan Army could carry out such operations without casualties.”

Pakistan’s military establishment is facing a gigantic crisis after Baloch separatist militants captured the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan. The latest statement by the BLA indicate that a large number of Army personnel have been killed fighting the militants as they struggle to rescue hostages.

The BLA has given a 48-hour ultimatum for a prisoner exchange, which may be too short for the Army, risking the lives of more than 200 security personnel. Baloch activist Mama Qadir Baloch told CNN-News18 that all Army personnel fighting the rebels have been killed.

Pakistani separatist militant group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) issued a fresh deadline to the Pakistani government on Tuesday demanding the release of Baloch political prisoners in exchange for the 214 hostages it is holding.

In its newly released statement, it called the Pakistani government an “occupying state” and listed its demands. “BLA has maintained complete control of the train and all hostages for the past eight hours. Under the rules of war, these 214 hostages are considered prisoners of war and BLA is prepared for a prisoner exchange. The occupying state of Pakistan is given 48 hours to immediately and unconditionally release Baloch political prisoners, forcibly disappeared persons and national resistance activists,” the statement said.

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 BLA said they have maintained complete control of the Jaffar Express train and all 214 hostages, saying it is prepared for a prisoner exchange. ” The occupying state of Pakistan is given 48 hours to immediately and unconditionally release Baloch political prisoners, forcibly disappeared persons and national resistance activists,” the group said in a statement.

The 214 hostages comprised Pakistani personnel, including military, paramilitary, police and intelligence officers. The BLA threatened to “neutralise” all captives and destroy the train if the demands were not met.

Offering a marginally diminished figure, local police in Balochistan said the BLA militants have taken only 35 passengers hostage after attacking a train in southwestern Pakistan, and nearly 350 other passengers are believed to be safe.

The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist militant group, said they had 182 hostages in total and threatened to kill them if security forces did not leave the area.

Nearly 350 passengers are believed to be safe after the train attack in Balochistan, according to the local police. The BLA had released civilian hostages from the Jaffar Express train, while keeping military personnel captive.

“Around 350 passengers, including women and children are saved and a relief train will be reaching the area where the train was attacked,” a district senior police officer, Rana Dilawar, told Reuters.

More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks in Pakistan in 2024 – the deadliest year in almost a decade – according to the Center for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.

In November, the BLA claimed responsibility for a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station that killed 26 people, including 14 soldiers. They also killed seven ethnic Punjabi travellers in February.

An additional eight Pakistani military personnel were eliminated, bringing the total number of Army casualties to 20, said the Baloch Liberation Army in a new statement, as security forces struggle to reach the captured Jaffar Express train and rescue hostages.

Intense clashes between the militants and security forces continue without a single BLA casualty so far. BLA fighters are now using “anti-aircraft artillery and inflicting severe losses on the enemy”.

Baloch separatist groups, including the BLA, have also targeted foreign workers, particularly those from China. Chinese projects in the area have angered Baloch residents who claim that cellphone towers being installed in the region are being used for surveillance purposes.

Chinese projects in the resource-rich Balochistan province have been criticised for harming the environment and forcing communities to leave their homes.

The train service from Quetta to other parts of the country has been suspended after the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train was derailed and captured by BLA militants, who held hundreds of passengers hostage.

Railway officials said work to repair the damaged track had been started. The train service will be restored by Wednesday morning. Police have ruled out any sabotage or subversive activity, according to Dawn.

On Friday, days before the Jaffar Express train attack, Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had issued a threat alert regarding a “planned attack” by the BLA, according to a letter seen by CNN.

The department asked “all concerned authorities” to “take extraordinary precautions and safety measures to prevent any occurrence.”

The Balochistan province has witnessed a decades-long conflict between the government and Baloch separatists, who have demanded secession from Pakistan. The Baloch Liberation Army is among several groups who argue that the native Baloch people have been marginalised and exploited by the government in the resource-rich province.

A security report by the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS) claimed that Baloch rebel attacks in 2024 increased by a staggering 119 per cent from the year before.

There is a 1,600-km distance between Quetta in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the train takes more than 30 hours to complete the journey, with over 30 steps along the way.

The Quetta-Peshawar train service was resumed in October after a nearly two-month halt following a spate of attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army in Balochistan.

Armed militants seized control of a passenger train in Pakistan’s volatile southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday, taking at least 450 passengers, including women and children, hostage.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which is fighting for independence and accuses outsiders of exploiting the region’s wealth, claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement released to the media, the BLA said, “The militants swiftly took control of the train and have taken all passengers hostage.”

Baloch militants held train passengers hostage in a remote, mountainous area of Balochistan province. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of over 450 passengers which included women and children.

The BLA said if attempts are made to rescue the hostages there will be “severe consequences”. According to several media outlets, the incident happened on Tuesday afternoon near Sibi province.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) released a new statement, saying that the group has taken 182 hostages, but all civilian passengers – including women, children, the elderly and the Baloch citizens – have been released safely and given a secure route.

A total of 11 Pakistani security personnel have been killed in intense clashes, and a drone was shot down. Among the hostages are active-duty personnel from the Pakistani Army, police, ISI and ATIF, all of whom were travelling on leave. It warned of executing all hostages if military intervention continues.

Reacting to the Jaffar Express train hijack by BLA militants in Balochistan, BJP MP Ghulam Ali Khatana slammed the government of Pakistan for not building any infrastructure and ignoring the needs of their people.

“What has Pakistan done till date? It gained independence along with India, but did not build infrastructure. They have always created problems. Sometimes in Punjab, sometimes in Kashmir, sometimes in Afghanistan. They did not pay attention to their people. Pakistan’s mindset is such that they want these things to happen to them,” he told ANI.

An intense and tough battle between BLA militants and Pakistani security forces is currently underway near the Jaffar Express train, as per reports citing security sources. The Jaffar Express train is held hostage under a tunnel, which makes the operation very complex.

BLA militants attacked the train while it was on the way to Peshawar and took hundreds of passengers, including women and children. They are also in touch with their handlers outside Pakistan, according to Pakistani journalist Wajahat Kazmi.

Senior Pakistani journalist Ijaz Ahmed exuded confidence in the ability of the security forces to rescue the hostages from the Jaffar Express, which the BLA attacked on Tuesday.

“It is a difficult situation but Pakistani security forces have reached the site. They will be able to free the hostages. It might take some time but they are experienced in handling such operations,” he told India Today.

The BLA said in its second statement, following the Jaffar Express attack, that Pakistani ground troops were forced to retreat after a ground assault, but airstrikes from helicopters and drones continued unabated.

It issued a final warning – “if the aerial bombardment is not halted immediately, all 100+ hostages will be executed within the next hour”. It said over 100 “enemy personnel: remained in BLA custody.