Separatist militants killed at least ten people and took hundreds of hostages after hijacking a train in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan on Tuesday, according to government and railway officials.
Imran Hayat, a senior railway official told CNN that nine of the victims were security personnel. He also confirmed that the train driver was killed in the attack.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, taking at least 182 hostages, including over 100 soldiers, according to Pakistani officials.
The passenger train, carrying approximately 500 people, was traveling from Quetta to… pic.twitter.com/2TkDQEnCzq
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 11, 2025
The Jaffer Express, carrying approximately 500 passengers, was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar when it was stopped by the militant group Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as it reached a tunnel on Tuesday.
Authorities responded swiftly to the scene. In the afternoon, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind reported that intense gunfire had erupted between security forces and the BLA who were reportedly using women and children as human shields.
By Tuesday night, security sources confirmed that at least 16 militants had been killed and several more injured. Pakistani officials also rescued 104 passengers out of the over 200 hostages reportedly taken by the militant group.
According to reports, the released hostages included 58 men, 31 women, and 15 children. Those injured have been taken to the hospital, and efforts to rescue the remaining hostages are still ongoing.
Pakistan Train hijacking : As the rescued passengers train reaches Mach Station, both militants and Security forces claims to have killed 22 militants and 30 soldiers . BLA claims taking 214 as hostages , police says 35 . Pitched battle still on going.pic.twitter.com/zVw4t9j66m
— Fakhar Ur Rehman (@Fakharrehman01) March 11, 2025
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti vowed that counterterrorism operations would continue “until the last terrorist is eliminated.” Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, calling the assailants “beasts who fire on innocent passengers.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also denounced the attack, saying that targeting innocent civilians during the holy month of Ramadan demonstrated the militants’ lack of connection to Islam or Pakistan.
The BLA is a separatist militant group designated as a terrorist organization by both Pakistan and the United States. It is behind several high-profile attacks in recent months, including a bus ambush in February that killed seven Punjabi travelers and a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station last November that resulted in 26 deaths, including 14 soldiers.
