Pakistan train hijack: 250 hostages and a tense standoff – What do Baloch rebels want?

Pakistan train hijack: The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was in a tense standoff with the Pakistan Army on Wednesday, following the hijacking of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train. According to officials, the insurgent group holds 250 people hostage on the train. The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist insurgent group, has claimed responsibility for hijacking the Jaffar Express.

Pakistani security forces have rescued 190 hostages held by the gunmen and have killed 30 attackers, AFP reported.

According to AP reports, Baloch rebels had strapped on vests loaded with explosives and had barricaded themselves inside the train with the hostages.

The Baloch insurgents issued a ‘final warning’ on Wednesday, setting a 24-hour deadline for the release of Baloch prisoners. The militants warned that if the authorities do not comply, the hostages would be subjected to trial and punishment.

Pakistan train hijack: What is the latest?

Authorities said the rescued so far include women and children.

Officials say the Jaffer Express train was partially inside a tunnel when the militants blew up the tracks, forcing the engine and nine coaches to stop. The driver was wounded and guards aboard the train were attacked, although the officials gave no details on how many there were or about their fate.

Rescued passengers were being sent to their hometowns and the injured were being treated at hospitals in the Mach district. Others were taken to Quetta, the provincial capital, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. The train was traveling from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when it came under attack.

Pakistan Railways has set up an emergency desk at the Peshawar and Quetta Railway stations as relatives try to get some information about their loved ones on the train.

A security source told Reuters news agency that of the 425 passengers on board the Jaffar Express, 80 were military personnel. Another source added that 17 of the rescued 104 passengers were taken to hospital for treatment as they were injured.

A region of insurgents

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the scene of insurgency with separatists demanding greater autonomy from the government in Islamabad and a larger share of the region’s natural resources.

Also, insurgencies on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border have frustrated both countries.

In Iran, the militant group Jaish al-Adl has carried out many attacks in recent years. Tehran has sought help from Pakistan in countering the threat from it, and Pakistan also wants Tehran to deny sanctuaries to BLA fighters.

In January 2024, Islamabad and Tehran engaged in tit-for-tat airstrikes targeting insurgents inside each other’s border areas, killing at least 11 people, but quickly deescalated the situation through talks.

What do the hijackers want?

The BLA said the hostages and some captured members of the security forces were being guarded by suicide bombers Wednesday. The BLA has warned that the life of hostages would be at risk if the government does not negotiate on releasing the BLA prisoners.

Trains in Balochistan typically have security personnel on board as members of the military frequently use trains to travel from Quetta to other parts of the country. In November, The BLA carried out a suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta, killing 26 people.

Analysts said the train attack and its focus on civilians could backfire.

“After failing to damage the Pakistan Army within Balochistan, BLA has shifted its targets from military to unarmed civilians. This may give them instant public and media attention, but it will weaken their support base within the civilian population, which is their ultimate objective,” said Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based independent security analyst.

Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and least populated province. It’s a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.