Pakistan on Fire and Its Effects on India

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The Jaffar Express, carrying around 400 passengers in nine coaches, was going from Pakistan’s Quetta to Peshawar when Baloch Liberation Army militants derailed it using explosives and hijacked it on Tuesday in the country’s restive Balochistan.

IMAGE: A passenger, who was rescued from a train after it was attacked by terrorists, receives medical aid at the Mach railway station in Mach, Balochistan, Pakistan, March 11, 2025. Photograph: Reuters
Soon after the explosion, the BLA militants started firing at the train indiscriminately.

The security forces so far rescued 190 passengers from the hijacked train and killed 30 Baloch rebels, as they continued to battle heavily-armed insurgents for a second day on Wednesday.
There was a huge explosion and firing, a scene that can never be forgotten, said Mushtaq Muhammad as he recounted the moment when Baloch militants attacked the Jaffar Express.

“After that, the firing started. The firing continued for an hour. It was a scene that can never be forgotten," he said.

Mushtaq said that the firing gradually stopped and the armed men entered the bogies.

“They started checking the identity cards of some people and separated some of them. Three militants were guarding the doors of our coach. They told the people that they would not say anything to civilians, women, old people and Baloch people,” he said.

Mushtaq also said these people (attackers) were talking to each other in Balochi and their leader was repeatedly telling them to keep a special eye on the security personnel and they should not get out of hand. Noor, who was in coach number seven of the same train, was travelling from Quetta to Rawalpindi with his wife and two children.

“The explosion was so intense that the windows and doors of the train shook and one of my children, who was sitting near me, fell down,” he said.

“The firing must have lasted for about fifty minutes... During this time, we were not even breathing, not knowing what would happen,” Noor said.

 

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Pakistan’s security forces say they have rescued 190 passengers from a train that was hijacked as it was travelling on Tuesday from Quetta, the provincial capital of the southwestern province of Balochistan, to Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Fighters belonging to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s secession from Pakistan, have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistani officials have described their continuing efforts as a “complex operation” against the group, which targeted the Jaffar Express train as it was passing through tunnels near Sibi city, about 160km (100 miles) from Quetta. Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had killed 27 fighters. At least 10 passengers, including the train driver, were also killed, they said. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the casualty count provided by the officials.

BLA fighters released several passengers. Security officials confirmed that a group of passengers made their way safely to a smaller station near the site of the attack, as a military operation to rescue others continued.

 

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Pak train hijack: 21 passengers, 4 soldiers killed; all hostages freed​

Twenty-one passengers and four paramilitary soldiers were killed by militants holding hostages after seizing control of a train in Balochistan, a Pakistani army general said on Wednesday.

IMAGE: A passenger, who was rescued from a train after it was attacked by terrorists, receives medical aid at the Mach railway station in Mach, Balochistan, Pakistan, March 11, 2025. Photograph: Reuters
Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif told Dunya News TV that security forces killed all 33 militants present at the scene.
"The armed forces successfully concluded the operation in the (Wednesday) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely,” Lt Gen Sharif said.
He said that 21 passengers were killed by the terrorists when they attacked the train on Tuesday. He added that four paramilitary Frontier Corps soldiers were also killed in the incident.
"The forces killed all 33 terrorists and secured the release of hostages,” he said.

Citing security sources, state-run Radio Pakistan confirmed that all terrorists present at the scene have been killed in the military operation.
The number of the passengers, who were killed at the beginning of the attack, was being determined, it added.
During the clearance operation, extreme caution and skill were demonstrated to save innocent lives, it said.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told the Geo News that 70-80 militants were involved in the attack on the train. He also warned against the fake news, saying that no mobile internet network was working in the area and all video clips being circulated on the media in Pakistan and elsewhere were fake.
He said that the passengers included civilians, government employees and security personnel.

IMAGE: Rescued passengers sit at the Mach railway station. Photograph: Reuters
Earlier in the day, officials said that some of the militants wearing vests loaded with explosives had formed groups of women and children and forced them to sit near them. Due to the presence of women and children with the suicide bombers, the operation was being conducted with utmost caution, they added.
A security source earlier said that around 30 people who sustained injuries had been sent to hospitals. He said two drivers in the main engine and eight security personnel were killed during the operation.
There was a huge explosion and firing, a scene that can never be forgotten, said Mushtaq Muhammad as he recounted the moment when militants attacked the train. Mushtaq was among the passengers rescued from the train, according to BBC Urdu service.
Ishaq Noor, who was travelling with his wife and two children, in coach number seven of the same train, said the explosion was so intense that the windows and doors of the train shook and one of my children, who was sitting near me, fell.
Seeing the firing and bullets hitting the coaches, Ishaq pulled one of his children under him while his wife pulled the other child under her so that "if a bullet hits us, the children will be saved."
"The firing must have lasted for about fifty minutes... During this time, we were not even breathing, not knowing what would happen."
Mushtaq said that the firing gradually stopped and the armed men entered the coaches.
"They started checking the identity cards of some people and separated some of them. Three militants were guarding the doors of our coach. They told the people that they would not say anything to civilians, women, old people and Baloch people," he said.
Ishaq said that in the evening, the attackers told the passengers that they were releasing Baloch, women, children and elderly passengers.
This is the first time the BLA or any insurgent group in the Balochistan province have resorted to hijacking a passenger train, although since last year, they have stepped up their attacks on security forces, installations and foreigners in different parts of the province.
The security source said some of the militants were using satellite phones to remain in touch with their handlers.
The Pakistan Railways have set up an emergency desk at the Peshawar and Quetta Railway stations as frantic relatives and friends try to get some information about their loved ones on the train.
Pakistan Railways had resumed train services to Peshawar from Quetta after a suspension of more than a month and a half.
The US Embassy in Islamabad strongly condemned the attack on the train and the hostage-taking of passengers.
"We extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims, their families, and all those affected by this horrific act. The Pakistani people deserve to live free from violence and fear," it said.
The US will remain a steadfast partner of Pakistan in its efforts to ensure the safety and security of all its citizens, it added. "We stand in solidarity with Pakistan during this difficult time."
"We strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Balochistan on 11 March. Our deepest condolences go the people of Pakistan and families of victims. As the situation is still unfolding, we express our profound concern for the hostages and call for their immediate release," EU Ambassador to Pakistan Riina Kionka said in a post on X.
Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year.
In the past, the railway tracks in this area have been attacked by Baloch militants using rockets or remote-controlled bombs, and the BLA claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
In October last year, Pakistan Railways announced the restoration of train services between Quetta and Peshawar after a suspension of more than a month and a half. A month later, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the oil and mineral-rich province.