 "Militant tribemen, carry their weapons during routine training in the autonomous region of Kohlu in the southeast of Balochistan province. File photo/Reuters")
Baloch separatists have hijacked a train in southwest Pakistan.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has taken responsibility for the attack, says militants are holding hundreds of passengers hostage.
“The militants swiftly took control of the train and have taken passengers hostage,” the BLA said in a statement.
The BLA also warned of “severe consequences” if any effort was made to rescue the hostages.
But what happened and why? What do we know?
Let’s take a closer look:
What happened?
As per News18, armed militants halted the Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s Sibi district around 1 pm.
Sibi district is a mountainous area of Balochistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran.
The Jaffar Express had left Quetta at 9 am and was headed to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The trip usually takes over 30 hours.
The train was coming to a halt when six assailants opened fire – killing at least half a dozen military personnel.
The Baloch militant group said gunmen had “bombed the railway track" and taken control of the train in Sibi after injuring the driver.
The Baloch government has not shared details of the incident.
“There are reports of intense firing at a Jaffar Express [train], which was heading from Quetta to Peshawar, between Pehro Kunri and Gadalar,” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said as per Dawn.
Ambulances were dispatched but access was not easy due to the rugged, mountainous terrain, Rind added.
Meanwhile, Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif confirmed that the nine coach train had around 500 passengers on board.
The train is said to be stuck in a tunnel.
“The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8. Efforts are being made to contact the passengers and staff,” the controller said.
“The trains are stuck just before a tunnel surrounding the mountain, while security has also been beefed up on the N-65 Highway,” Rana Muhammad Dilawar, district police officer of Kachhi Bolan, told the outlet.
“The railway department has sent more trains to the site to provide rescue,” the statement further said.
“The scale of the incident and the possibility of terrorist elements are being determined. The Balochistan government has ordered that emergency measures be taken, and all institutions remain active.”
Indian Express quoted the group saying it had taken 182 passengers hostage.
This included members of the Pakistan Army members and security officials travelling on leave.
It claimed that other passengers had been set free.
“Civilian passengers, particularly women, children, the elderly, and Baloch citizens, have been released safely and given a secure route,” the BLA said.
As per News18, the BLA claimed that it has fended off an attack by the Pakistani military.
“After intense clashes, Pakistani ground troops were forced to retreat, but airstrikes from helicopters and drones continue unabated," the group said.
It has also warned that it will execute all hostages if aerial bombardment does not cease immediately.
“The BLA further warns that if military intervention continues, all hostages will be executed.”
The group warned that if this happens, the Pakistan military will bear full responsibility for the death of the hostages.
But three security officials said the BLA, which Pakistan and the United States have designated a terrorist organisation, are using women and children as human shields.
Abdul Qadir Baloch, a former parliamentarian in Pakistan, told News18 that at least 150 Pakistani military personnel have been killed while fighting BLA militants in a bid to rescue the hostages.
Indian Express quoted Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi slammed the BLA as “beasts who fire on innocent passengers.”
He vowed that the government would not make any concessions to the group.
Former Pakistan President Arif Alvi condemned the attack as “heinous and cowardly.
“On such matters, people of Pakistan have a united stand. This is where exactly, the undivided attention of the armed forces is required. We pray for the safety of the kidnapped citizens,” he said as per News18.
Why is this happening?
The BLA is one of several groups that has been taking aim at the Pakistan government for decades.
The groups claim that the government is exploiting the region’s rich gas and mineral resources.
They also accuse the central government of discrimination against the ethnic Baloch minority.
The groups are seeking a free and independent Balochistan.
Balochistan, which borders both Iran and Afghanistan, is Pakistan’s largest province by size, but the least populated and it remains largely underdeveloped, with high levels of poverty.
Trains in Balochistan typically have security personnel on board.
Separatists have previously carried out deadly attacks on trains in the region. In November, a separatist group carried out a suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta that killed 26 people.
With inputs from agencies