Pakistan Train Hijack LIVE: 182 Including Military Personnel In BLA's Captivity, Civilians Released

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.

An emergency has been imposed in the Sibi hospital in the wake of the Jaffar Express attack by the BLA militants, with the Balochistan government urging people to remain calm. “The scale of the incident and the possibility of terrorist elements are being determined,” said a government spokesperson.

An emergency has also been declared at the Civil Hospital Quetta, said Pakistan’s Health Department Spokesperson Dr Waseem Baig. All doctors, nurses, consultants, paramedics and other staff have been summoned to the hospital.

According to the Balochistan government, ambulances and security forces have reached the site of the incident and are attempting to track down the militants. The railways department has sent more trains to the site for rescue efforts.

The train driver sustained serious injuries in the attack. An emergency relief team has been dispatched to assist the train driver, according to The Express Tribune.

Taking responsibility for the attack, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said it fired upon the Jaffar Express train en route to Peshawar, killing six security personnel and taking hundreds of passengers hostage.

“This operation is being conducted jointly by the Majeed Brigade, STOS, and Fateh Squad —specialized units of the BLA. Any military incursion will be met with an equally forceful response,” it said in a statement, warning that it will execute passengers if a military operation is conducted.