Pakistan Train with 450 Passengers Hijacked: Balochistan Militants Claim Responsibility

In what can be considered a concerning development, a Pakistan train carrying more than 100 passengers has been hijacked. It is being reported that Balochistan separatists took control of the train named Jaffar Express and even killed 6 Pakistan soldiers. 

Traveling from Quetta (present in Southwest Balochistan province) to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Peshawar, there are a total of 450 passengers traveling in 9 carriages inside the Jaffar Express. Initially, the separatists took hold of the train and started shooting. It was during this firing that 6 army men were killed. Railway authorities have officially confirmed the hijack. 

The Balochistan Liberation Army released a statement moments after the hijack, claiming responsibility. They revealed that the train had an anti-terrorism squad, the Pakistan army, police, and Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) agents present. They were all traveling to Punjab back to their homes for holidays. It was also made clear that if the Pakistan army intervenes, all the 100 people under captive would be hanged to death. 

Security forces had reached the site, which is present in the Mushqaf area of the Bolan district of Balochistan, according to a railway official. The Balochistan government, on the other hand, imposed emergency measures and all institutions have been mobilised to handle this emegency situation. 

Coming to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), it is the biggest of sevaral ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the Pakistan government for decades, claiming that Pakistan unfairly exploits Balochistan's gas and mineral resources. Located in the southwest region of Pakistan, Balochistan shares borders with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the Northeast, Punjab to the East, and Sindh to the Southeast. The area also borders Iran to the West, and Afghanistan to the North. Balochistan's Southern boundary is formed by the Arabian Sea.