Pakistan Train Hijack highlights: Siege ends as Pakistan ‘kills’ all BLA militants leaving ‘some’ hostages dead

Pakistan Train Hijack highlights: The Jaffar Express, with some 400 passengers on board in nine bogies, was on its way from Quetta in Pakistan's to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan Train Hijack highlights: An injured passenger rescued by security forces from a passenger train attacked by insurgents arrive at a railway station in Much near Quetta, Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, Wednesday, March 12, 2025.(AP)

Pakistan Train Hijack highlights: Pakistani officials said that the insurgent attack on the Jaffar Express train has ended as all militants were killed during a “full-scale” rescue operation which left a “few” hostages dead. ...Read More

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• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:03 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Updates end here

  Updates to this live blog have ended. Thanks for tuning in

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 10:58 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: All hostages rescued, say security forces

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Security forces rescued all 346 hostages as over 30 militants and 28 soldiers were killed during the operation, an army official told AFP. Efforts were complicated on Wednesday as suicide bombers wearing explosive-laden vests were reportedly stationed near passengers held captive.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 09:47 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: BLA's statement on battle with security forces

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: The militant group said in a statement, “Today, the enemy forces attempted an armed advance using heavy artillery and sophisticated weaponry, leading to intense clashes. In direct retaliation to Pakistan's persistent aggression, the BLA has executed 50 additional captive enemy personnel within the past hour.”

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 08:50 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Balochistan CM promises to share details ‘later’

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan province, indicated that some hostages were killed while addressing the provincial assembly. “We people have also been martyred, but we will share details later,” he said.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 08:06 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Pakistan says attack on train has ended

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Pakistani officials said the attack on a train has ended, with all attackers killed but some of the hostages were killed.

  BLA militants said they have killed 50 hostages, but the information could not be verified independently.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 06:51 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Analyst says train attack could backfire on BLA

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based independent security analyst told AP that the decision to attack a train with innocent passengers could backfire strategically on the BLA.

  “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,” he said.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 06:18 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: China condemns attack as Pakistan battles BLA militants to free hostages

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: China condemned the hijacking of a passenger train by militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and said it firmly opposes terrorism in any form. Beijing also expressed readiness to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation with Islamabad.

  “We noted the reports and strongly condemn this terrorist attack,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here while replying to a question on the attack.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 05:21 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: What are the militants demanding?

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has placed a key demand with the Pakistani government to release about 250 remaining hostages. Its spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said the group was ready to free passengers if authorities agree to release jailed militants.

  There has been no comment from the government, which has rejected such demands in the past.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 03:47 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: 190 hostages freed by security forces

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Security forces have rescued 190 train passengers taken hostage by militants in southwestern Pakistan, security sources said Wednesday, on the second day of the siege.

  "Due to the presence of women and children with suicide bombers, extreme caution is being exercised," the sources told AFP, adding that 30 militants have been killed.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 03:22 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Security forces launch ‘full scale’ operation

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Pakistan forces launched a "full-scale" operation to rescue train passengers taken hostage by militants in the mountainous southwest, with security sources saying 155 had been freed in the past 24 hours.

  "Information suggests that some militants have fled, taking an unknown number of hostages into the local mountainous areas," a security official in the area told AFP.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 02:22 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Explosive loaded militants' vests challenge rescue operations

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Pakistani security forces who exchanged gunfire with BLA militants to free about 300 hostages said the captives were surrounded by militants wearing vests loaded with explosives.

  Government spokesman Shahid Rind said Pakistani forces were being backed up by helicopters in the remote region and described the attack as “an act of terrorism.” (AP)

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 01:03 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: How Baloch militants hijacked Pakistan Jaffar Express train - Blew up railway track, killed driver

  The militants blew up a railway track and opened fire on the Jaffar Express on Tuesday as it travelled from Quetta, Balochistan's capital city, to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. After coming under fire, the train was trapped inside a tunnel. The BLA militants took control of the train after exchanging fire with security personnel. The driver was wounded in the firing.

  The Baloch militants then blew up the railway track on Tunnel Number 8, causing the train to derail. "The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8," the Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif said in a statement. Click here to read how Jaffar Express was hijacked.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:24 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: 155 hostages rescued, 27 militants killed, say local reports

  The security forces have rescued 155 hostages held by the gunmen and have killed 27 attackers, ARY News reported citing security sources.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:21 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: ‘Checked IDs, shot soldiers’ - Pakistan train hijack survivors recount horror

  The ordeal of the passengers aboard Jaaffar Express in Pakistan began when militants, fighting for Balochistan’s independence, blew up a railway track in a remote part of the region, halting the train and taking over 450 passengers hostage.

  “I can’t find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying,” AFP quoted Muhammad Bilal as saying.

  Bilal was on the Jafar Express with his mother when the train was caught in an explosive attack, leaving at least three people dead. Click here to read full story.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 11:21 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: ‘Punjabis were taken away’ - Passenger recounts train horror

  A passenger, while recounting the horror on Jaffar Express, said that gunmen sorted through identity cards to confirm who was from outside of the Baloch province, reported news agency AFP.

  "They came and checked IDs and service cards and shot two soldiers in front of me and took the other four to... I don't know where," AFP quoted a passenger as saying. "Those who were Punjabis were taken away by the terrorists," he added.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 09:49 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Pak President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemns attack on Jaffar Express

  Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the attack on Jaffar Express in Balochistan province, reported ARY news. He also praised the security forces for responding timely and effectively. Neither any religion nor a society allowed such repugnant acts, the President said.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 09:20 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Security Forces to launch 'full-scale' operation to free train hostages

  Pakistan security forces were set to launch a "full-scale operation" on Wednesday to free train passengers taken hostage by militants, including suicide bombers.

  "A full-scale operation is planned for the morning to rescue the train hostages and others," a security official in the area told AFP.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 07:34 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Attack might jeopardise PM Shahbaz Sharif's rebuilding plans

  The attack comes at a time when Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is trying to rebuild the fragile South Asian economy and lure investments from friendly nations. The attack might jeopardise those ambitions.

  China, which has built major infrastructure and energy projects in Pakistan to push President Xi Jinping’s Belt & Road vision, had last year asked Islamabad to urgently provide a safe environment for its projects and citizens.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 06:56 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Some hostages taken into the mountains

  The militants have reportedly taken some of the hostage passengers into the mountains with the security forces pursuing them in the dark, PTI reported.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 06:28 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: UN condemns railway attack

  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack and called for the immediate release of the hostages, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric was quoted by AP as saying.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 06:09 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: What does the BLA want to achieve in the long term?

  The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan from Pakistan and wants to create a separate nation for the ethnic Balochs. The group is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled Islamabad for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.

  The insurgents have been fighting to claim local resources that they say belong to their people. Balochistan’s mountainous border region serves as a safe haven and training ground for the Baloch insurgents.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 05:53 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Millitant attacks on a dramitic rise in Pakistan

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Militant insurgent attacks climbed 40 percent to 905 last year, killing almost 1,200 people, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 05:47 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Seperatist attack on railways not a one-off

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: The ongoing BLA attack on Railways in Pakistan is not a one-off by separatists in Balochistan. In November last year, a separatist group carried out a suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta that killed 26 people.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 05:29 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Pakistani troops free 104 hostages, kill 16 BLA militants

  Latest reports indicate 104 passengers have now been freed, including 58 men, 31 women, and 15 children, as the operation continues, PTI reported.

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 02:59 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Rescued passenger says, 'people began hiding under seats in panic'

  A 49-year-old passenger Allahditta recalled the situation in Jaffar Express at the time of hijack and told AFP, "People began hiding under the seats in panic. The militants separated the men from the women. They allowed me and my family to go because I told them I'm a heart patient."

• Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:59 AM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Police say militants have taken 35 passengers hostage

  Local police officials on Tuesday that militants have taken 35 passengers hostage after hijacking the Jaffar Express train in Balochistan province.

  The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist militant group, said it blew up the track and "swiftly took control of the train".

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 11:17 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Security forces rescue 80 passengers, says govt spokesperson

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: A government spokesperson has said that the Pakistan security forces have rescued 80 passengers from the Jaffar Express train amid a suspected hijack attack by Baloch militants in the Balochistan province.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 10:49 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Police contradict BLA's '182 hostage' claim

  The police in Pakistan on Tuesday refuted the militant group Baloch Liberation Army's claim that it had taken hostage over 180 passengers of a train, saying the separatists have captured 35 passengers and nearly 350 are believed to be safe. READ FULL STORY

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 10:05 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Who are the Baloch separatists behind today's attack?

  The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in the area bordering Afghanistan and Iran, a mineral-rich region that is home to Beijing's investment in Gwadar deep water port and other projects.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 10:01 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: ‘This attack will hurt Pak’s ego, says foreign affairs expert Sushant Sareen

  On Jaffar Express train attack in Balochistan, foreign affairs expert Sushant Sareen on Tuesday said, “This latest attack is basically one in a series of attacks that have started. This is one of the more audacious attacks that has come that has caused so much of an uproar. But the Baloch freedom fighters have been launching attacks on targets which they've been picking up and have been achieving some remarkable success.”

  “This attack is just the latest in the series of some pretty spectacular attacks that they have carried out in the past. Nothing extraordinary about it. The attack in itself will hurt the ego of the Pakistan army and will probably raise significant demands for some kind of a stream roller military operation against the Baloch, which we might see in the next few weeks, maybe even days,” he added while talking to ANI.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 09:33 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Driver of the Jaffar Express was badly wounded, say authorities

  The train was trapped in a tunnel and the driver was badly wounded, local authorities, police and railway officials said.

  "Around 350 passengers, including women and children are save and a relief train will be reaching the area where the train was attacked," said a district senior police officer, Rana Dilawar.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 08:42 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Interior minister issues statement

  Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the attack and said the government would not make any concessions to "beasts who fire on innocent passengers".

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:58 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: BLA claims it killed 20 soldiers, took 182 hostages | 10 points

  Armed militants belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) stormed a train in Pakistan's restive mountainous region on Tuesday, taking scores of passengers hostage. READ MORE

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:39 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Women, kids, elderly were released, claim BLA

  "Civilian passengers, particularly women, children, the elderly, and Baloch citizens, have been released safely and given a secure route," it said in a statement emailed to journalists and posted on Telegram.

  "The BLA further warns that if military intervention continues, all hostages will be executed."

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:28 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: BLA threatens to execute hostages if forces fight back

  The BLA issue a warning stating that if the aerial bombardment was not halted immediately, all hostages would be executed within the next hour, reported ANI.

  "Majeed Brigade, STOS, Fateh Squad, and ZIRAB Unit fighters are actively engaged in countermeasures, and any further military incursion will have catastrophic consequences," the statement read.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:21 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: 20 Pakistani soldiers killed, claim BLA

  The BLA, which seeks independence for Balochistan province bordering both Afghanistan and Iran, said it had killed 20 soldiers and shot down a drone. There was no confirmation of that from Pakistani authorities, reported Reuters.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:07 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: BLA currently holds over 180 hostages

  The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in southwest Pakistan said they had taken 182 hostages including military personnel on Tuesday in an attack on a train and threatened to kill them if security forces did not leave the area, Reuters reported.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:03 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Dept warned of a planned attack last week, says report

  The Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had issued a threat alert, regarding “a planned attack” by the BLA last week, as per a letter seen by CNN.

  The department asked “all concerned authorities” to “take extraordinary precautions and safety measures to prevent any occurrence," the letter stated.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 06:56 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: How many passengers were there in Jaffar Express

  Multiple people have been injured in the attack near Bolan in Balochistan, said a statement by the interior ministry. The train was carrying as many as 500 passengers, according to local newspaper Dawn.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 06:49 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: What is The Baloch Liberation Army?

  Pakistani militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attacked the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train in the Bolan district, injuring the driver and holding over 400 passengers, including security forces, hostage in a deserted mountainous area. READ MORE

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 06:35 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: Which train was hijacked by the BLA?

  Jaffar Express, with around 500 passengers on board in nine coaches, was on its way from Quetta to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it was fired on between Gudalaar and Piru Koneri areas, according to officials.

• Tue, 11 Mar 2025 06:22 PM

  Pakistan Train Hijack Live: BLA takes over 400 passengers hostage

  The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Tuesday said that it took control of the Jaffar Express train and held over 400 passengers hostage in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province.