Pakistan Train Hijack: Rescue operation continues even after 24 hours of train hijack in Quetta; more than 200 coffins sent.
In Pakistan’s Balochistan, the BLA hijacked the Jaffar Express train carrying more than 400 passengers. The passengers were taken hostage, and some also had suicide bombers sitting near them. The rescue operation is going on by the security forces; 155 hostages have been rescued safely. The death toll is likely to increase while the government has maintained silence on the matter.
Mumbai: The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Tuesday stopped the Jaffar Express, a train going from Quetta to Peshawar, at the Bolan Pass and took the passengers hostage. Meanwhile, there is news that a large number of coffins are being sent from Quetta railway station.
The BLA has been active in Balochistan for more than a decade, but in some years, the terrorist organization and its affiliate, the Majeed Brigade, have seen an increase in expansion and attacks. Security sources told Reuters on Wednesday that suicide bombers were sitting next to some of the passengers taken hostage after militants hijacked a train in southwestern Pakistan, complicating the rescue.
A security official said about 50 separatist rebels blew up railway tracks and fired rockets at the Jaffar Express, which was carrying more than 400 people, on Tuesday.
Rescue operation continues; 155 hostages rescued
The rescue operation is still going on more than 24 hours after the train was hijacked. Hundreds of soldiers and teams in helicopters are conducting a rescue operation to rescue the hostages in the remote mountainous region where the train is stranded. The government said it has rescued 155 passengers so far. There has been no official statement on how many people are held captive by the militants.
“People were attacked… passengers were injured and some passengers died,” said Muhammad Ashraf, a passenger on the train, according to Reuters.
Police and railway officials said the train was stuck in a tunnel, and the driver died of serious injuries.
The BLA has threatened to start killing hostages if the army does not release Baloch political prisoners, activists, and missing people within 48 hours.
After taking control of the train, the militants started disembarking passengers and checking their identities, a security source said.
Government silent on deaths
“They were looking for soldiers and security personnel,” the official said. He said at least 11 people, including paramilitary personnel, have been killed so far.
However, the government has not shared information on how many people have been killed. According to BBC Urdu, about 200 coffins have also been sent in the train carrying relief from Quetta to Bolan.
The source said the BLA militants, armed with bombs, were sitting next to other passengers. The BLA is the largest of several ethnic armed groups fighting Pakistan’s government in the mineral-rich Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. A security source said on Wednesday that 27 BLA fighters had been killed in the military operation so far. On Tuesday, the BLA denied that any of its members had been killed.
50 people brought safely to Quetta
More than 50 people rescued so far in the incident were brought to Quetta on Wednesday morning under the supervision of security forces, where their relatives were waiting for them. A woman said her son was also among the hostage passengers. She spoke to provincial minister Mir Zahoor Buledi when he went to meet the rescued hostage passengers. She said, “I request you with folded hands to please bring my child back. If the trains were not safe, why did you not stop them? If the train was not supposed to reach its destination, why was it allowed to go?”
Crowds of people gathered at Quetta Railway Station
A large number of people have gathered outside Quetta Railway Station. Tight security arrangements have been made, and no one is being allowed to enter the railway station or go to any government office. There is a curfew-like atmosphere at Quetta Railway Station.
