[BREAKING NEWS] Baloch militants hijacked Jaffar Passenger Express in Pakistan

A passenger train in Pakistan has been hijacked by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which claims to have taken hundreds of hostages while also killing six Pakistani military personnel. The armed separatist group, which seeks independence for Balochistan, declared responsibility for the attack and warned of dire consequences if Pakistani forces attempt a rescue operation.

The Jaffar Express, carrying over 400 passengers in nine bogies, was travelling from Quetta in Balochistan to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it came under attack. According to railway officials, the assailants fired at the train before blowing up sections of the railway track, forcing it to a halt. The attackers then boarded the train, seizing control and taking those on board hostage. In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Jeeyand Baloch, the BLA declared that it would retaliate against any military intervention with equal force. “Any military incursion will be met with an equally forceful response. So far, six military personnel have been killed, and hundreds of passengers remain under BLA custody. The Baloch Liberation Army takes full responsibility for this operation,” the statement, shared on social media, read.

Security forces have since arrived at the scene in the Mushqaf area of Bolan district, where the attack took place. Meanwhile, the Balochistan government has implemented emergency measures and mobilised all relevant institutions to handle the crisis, according to government spokesperson Shahid Rind. Balochistan has been the epicentre of a decades-long insurgency by separatist militant groups, who accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting the province’s vast natural resources while neglecting its people. The BLA, the most prominent among these groups, has repeatedly carried out attacks on government forces, infrastructure, and Chinese investments in the region.

Although Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by land area—covering nearly 44% of the country’s total territory—it remains its least populated and one of its most underdeveloped regions. Home to the deep-sea port of Gwadar, which Pakistan touts as a crucial hub for regional and global trade, the province holds significant strategic importance. Balochistan shares borders with the Pakistani provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh, as well as neighbouring Iran and Afghanistan, with its southern boundary stretching along the Arabian Sea.

*This is a breaking news.