 "Militants from the Baloch Liberation Army in Quetta. For the train hijacking, the BLA deployed its suicide squad, the Majeed Brigade. File image/AFP")
A routine train journey from Pakistan’s Quetta to Peshawar turned into a nightmare on Tuesday (March 11) when armed militants hijacked the Jaffar Express while it was travelling in the Mashkaf and Dhadar areas of the country.
Pakistan’s security forces are now locked in what they describe as a “complex operation” to secure the release of the people taken hostage — until now, over 100 hostages have been freed and 16 rebels have been killed.
As rescue operations continue, here is what we know so far about the attack and the Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade, who perpetrated the attack.
What happened to the Jaffar Express?
On Tuesday, the Jaffar Express , carrying 400-odd passengers that included dozens of security personnel, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar. The trip takes roughly 30 hours, with stops at around 30 stations across the country.
However, around 1 pm local time (08:00 GMT), as the train was passing through the Dhadar area of Bolan Pass, terrorists blew up the railway track and killed at least 10 security personnel, forcing the train to a halt. The attackers claimed that passengers on the train were hostages now — though dozens of passengers later reached Panir.
Who’s behind the attack on the Jaffar Express?
Shortly after the hijacking, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which is an armed group active in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The BLA said in a statement that they had taken hostages from the train who would be “executed” if a security operation took place.
The BLA emerged in the early 2000s with the intention of establishing an independent state of Balochistan. They claim that the people of Baloch have been excluded — economically and politically — by the Pakistan government.
In the past, the BLA has carried out attacks on Pakistani security officials, government structures, and installations, including Chinese-funded installations under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). It is banned in Pakistan and considered a terrorist organisation in a few other countries.
For Tuesday’s train incident, the BLA deployed its Majeed Brigade which is also known as BLA’s suicide squad. According to the American defence policy think tank, The Jamestown Foundation, the Majeed Brigade is named after two brothers — Majeed Langove Senior and Majeed Langove Junior. While Senior was killed while attempting to assassinate then Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto during the latter’s official visit to Quetta in 1974, Junior was killed trying to save his associates during a Pakistani security forces raid in 2010.
To honour them, the BLA decided to form a suicide squad, calling it the Majeed Brigade in 2011. It carried out its first suicide attack in December 2011 — the target was Shafeeq Mengal, the son of a former Pakistani minister. However, Mengal survived the attack.
It then became dormant for years only to capture the attention of the world when it carried out a suicide attack on a bus carrying Chinese engineers in August 2018. Since then, it has perpetrated a number of attacks — the Chinese Consulate in Karachi in November 2018, Gwadar’s Pearl Continental Hotel in May 2019, and the Pakistan Stock Exchange in June 2020.
Experts note that the Majeed Brigade is well-armed and is in possession of high-grade weapons. It also has access to sophisticated explosives like C4 for making suicide vests. In fact, a RFEL report cites that the BLA and its units obtained American weapons and military equipment. When the United States and international forces pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, they left behind billions of dollars’ worth of military gear and weapons that were then seized by the Taliban after it captured power. Some experts also note that as of today, the Majeed Brigade is made up of no more than 100 to 150 members, including women.
Moreover, it appears that the Majeed Brigade doesn’t differentiate on gender. In 2022, the Majeed Brigade deployed a 31-year-woman to carry out a suicide attack. She killed three Chinese citizens and their Pakistani driver in front of the Confucius Institute in the southern seaport city of Karachi on April 26.
In October 2024, the Majeed Brigade took responsibility for an attack, which saw the deaths of Chinese engineers and investors departing from Jinnah International Airport, Karachi.
How has Pakistan reacted to the train hijack?
Shortly after news broke of the hijacking, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned it. He said, “The terrorists’ targeting of innocent passengers during the peaceful and blessed month of Ramzan is a clear reflection that these terrorists have no connection with the religion of Islam, Pakistan (or) Balochistan.”
Meanwhile, security personnel in a “complex operation” killed 16 terrorists and rescued 104 passengers. They added that a gunbattle was still on and they wouldn’t stop until every passenger is rescued. According to news agency PTI, of the passengers rescued, 58 are men, 31 are women and 15 are children. All of them have been sent to Mach (a town in Kachhi district in Balochistan province of Pakistan) by another train.
Meanwhile, the other militants of the Majeed Brigade have taken the passengers into the mountains. “The militants have now formed small groups to try to escape in the dark, but the security forces have surrounded the tunnel and the remaining passengers will also be rescued soon,” the source told news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Railways have set up an emergency desk at the Peshawar and Quetta Railway stations as frantic relatives and friends try to get some information about their loved ones on the train.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind also said that emergency measures have been imposed and a relief train and contingents of security forces have also been dispatched to the site.
Balochistan has seen a rise in insurgency in recent times, especially since the Gwadar port was leased to China. According to a GeoTV report, there have been at least 24 attacks, which have claimed 26 lives, including 11 security personnel, six civilians, and nine militants.
With inputs from agencies