Separatist militants hijacked a passenger train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, taking hostages and engaging in gunfire with security forces, officials said Tuesday.
The Jaffer Express, carrying approximately 450 passengers, was intercepted by armed militants as it entered a tunnel in the Bolan region while en route from Quetta to Peshawar, according to railway and government officials.
“Armed individuals stopped Jaffer Express inside Tunnel No. 8 (in Bolan),” said Muhammad Kashif, Quetta Railways’ controller. Communication with passengers and crew has been lost, leaving the situation unclear, he added.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, warning in a statement that hostages would be executed if security forces launched an operation.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed that intense gunfire was reported on the train and that security forces were en route to secure the area. The hijacked train remains in the mountainous Sibi region, making access difficult. Emergency response efforts, including a relief train, have been dispatched, Rind said.
Authorities are investigating the incident as a possible terrorist attack. A recent intelligence alert from Balochistan’s Counter-Terrorism Department had warned of a planned attack by the BLA and advised heightened security measures.
Balochistan has faced a decades-long insurgency, which has intensified since Pakistan leased the Gwadar port to China under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. Militants claim the government exploits the province’s mineral wealth without benefiting local communities. The BLA has carried out some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan over the past year, frequently targeting Chinese workers in the region.
