QUETTA, Pakistan — On Thursday, Pakistan’s prime minister praised the armed forces for their successful operation in rescuing 339 passengers from a train hijacked by insurgents in the southwest, resulting in 25 deaths. Among the deceased were 21 civilian hostages and four military personnel, with one soldier killed during the rescue. The authorities have not disclosed details on the number of injured, but all insurgents were reported killed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the nation via television remarks from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, where he also interacted with survivors of the attack. This statement followed the foreign ministry’s claim that Afghan territory was used for plotting the train assault, even though the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility. The siege began on Tuesday and concluded on Wednesday as troops eliminated all 33 insurgents, effectively preventing further passenger casualties.
The insurgents caused the Jafer Express train, en route from Quetta to Peshawar, to halt by detonating explosives on the track. This forced nine coaches and the engine to stop partially inside a tunnel. Historically, the BLA targets Pakistani security and infrastructure, although hijacking a train was unprecedented. The group has previously attacked Chinese workers in Balochistan, where many foreign projects are underway.
Balochistan, rich in resources yet sparsely populated, is often a source of discord due to perceived exploitation of the ethnic Baloch minority by central authorities. During his visit, Sharif was accompanied by his Cabinet and greeted by senior officials in Quetta. Arrangements for transporting victims’ bodies and medical care for the injured were underway, according to official statements.
In Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan asserted that the BLA insurgents had been under Afghan directives during the crisis. He emphasized that security forces eradicated all terrorists involved, while some attackers maintained communication with planners across the Afghan border. Khan urged Kabul to hold accountable those responsible for supporting and executing such attacks.
A military statement backed this claim, revealing intelligence that the plot was orchestrated from Afghanistan, though no specifics were shared. Conversely, Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi refuted these assertions and mourned the loss of innocent lives.
The Pakistani military detailed the unfolding of events, noting that insurgents commandeered the train and held passengers, including vulnerable groups, hostage. Survivors recounted the attackers firing upon train windows and entering cabins before taking captives.
Among the fallen were three soldiers who were initially securing the railway, per military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif. Additionally, in a separate incident, Pakistani security forces engaged and killed 10 militants proximate to a military base in South Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Officials identified the deceased as members of the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a group closely aligned with the Afghan Taliban since its reascension in 2021.
