LAHORE, March 12: Pakistani security forces have successfully rescued 155 passengers from a train hijacked by separatist militants in the southwest of the country, security sources said on Wednesday, while the government said an operation was underway to rescue dozens still held hostage.
The train, traveling from Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was attacked on Tuesday by militants who blew up a railway track and opened fire. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an ethnic separatist armed group, claimed responsibility for the attack and has threatened to execute hostages unless Baloch political prisoners, activists, and missing persons allegedly abducted by the military are released within 48 hours.
Sources familiar with the situation reported that the militants had placed bombers wearing “suicide jackets” next to some of the hostages. However, the exact number of hostages still being held remains unclear. While BLA initially stated it was holding 214 people, a security source confirmed that 425 passengers were aboard the train when it was attacked.
The Pakistani government’s interior ministry has confirmed that an operation is ongoing to rescue the remaining hostages. As of Wednesday, security forces have reported that 27 militants involved in the attack have been killed.
BLA is the largest of several ethnic armed groups engaged in a longstanding conflict with the Pakistani government over the mineral-rich Balochistan province, which borders both Afghanistan and Iran. The militant group has escalated its attacks in recent months, demanding greater autonomy and rights for ethnic Baloch people.
