A rebel group in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province bombed a section of the railway tracks and hijacked a train on Tuesday afternoon, as seen in a video shared by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the group responsible for escalating violence in the region, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
The train, with over 450 passengers on board, was captured by the rebels at the entrance of a tunnel in a remote border district. The fate of several hostages remains uncertain as the attack unfolds. Pakistani security forces have launched a large-scale operation to free the passengers still held captive.
The grainy 1-minute, 23-second video footage shows the passengers lying on the ground, silhouetted against the mountainous backdrop, while armed rebels stand guard over them. Over the span of two days, Pakistani forces have managed to release 190 hostages from the train.
Passengers freed on Tuesday described their escape as harrowing, with many trekking for hours across mountainous terrain to find safety. Muhammad Bilal, who was traveling with his mother on the Jafar Express, shared his terrifying experience, telling AFP, “I can’t find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying.”
The Baloch Liberation Army swiftly claimed responsibility for the assault, demanding an exchange of their imprisoned members for the hostages. The insurgency in Balochistan, a region rich in natural resources, has persisted for decades, fueled by claims of exploitation by outside forces. Violence has significantly increased, especially along the western border with Afghanistan, since the Taliban regained control in 2021.
The BLA accuses Pakistan of exploiting the region’s resources and has escalated attacks on people from other parts of Pakistan. In the past year, the rebels coordinated a series of violent attacks, including seizing a major highway and killing travelers from ethnic groups they deem to be outsiders.
Punjabi and Sindhi laborers, along with security personnel and foreign infrastructure projects, have become frequent targets of these attacks.
