Quetta: Baloch separatists attack train, hold passengers hostage
The Balochistan Liberation Army attacked the Jaffar Express, bound for Peshawar. In a statement, the separatist group warned the Pakistani government not to intervene militarily, threatening mass executions. The assault is part of a growing wave of violence by the BLA against the Pakistani state.
Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Members of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) stormed a train and took dozens of passengers hostage.
According to local sources, the Jaffar Express left Quetta, the capital of the southwestern province of Balochistan, for Peshawar, with about 450 passengers, who may now all be in the hands of the group. Other news agencies, like Reuters, say that 182 people are in the hands of the terrorists.
The train driver was seriously wounded, local authorities, police and railway officials report.
According to the Pakistani daily Dawn, rescue teams were sent to the Bolan district, where the train was stuck in a tunnel, following “reports of intense firing”.
The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement warning the government not intervene militarily.
“The BLA issues a clear warning that if the occupying forces attempt any military operation, the consequences will be severe. All hundreds of hostages will be executed, and the responsibility for this bloodshed will lie solely with the occupying forces,” reads the statement signed by Jeeyand Baloch, spokesperson for the Baloch Liberation Army.
“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 press release went on to say.
Later, the separatists claimed to have killed 20 members of the police.
The BLA has been fighting against Pakistan for decades, claiming that it is exploiting the region's resources at the expense of the local population.
In recent years, it has mainly targeted infrastructure projects in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), often carrying out attacks against Chinese nationals as well.
Train service near Quetta resumed in October after a two-month hiatus following another attack claimed by the BLA that disabled the tracks.
Several research institutes have called the increase in violent attacks by the BLA in recent times “alarming”.
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