A high-stakes military operation in Pakistan has led to the rescue of nearly 350 hostages after armed militants hijacked a passenger train in the volatile province of Balochistan.
The deadly standoff, which began on Tuesday, ended with dozens killed, according to a security source who spoke to CNN.
The separatist group Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the assault, which saw militants seize control of the Jaffer Express as it traveled from Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, to Peshawar in the north. Officials reported that the attackers unleashed heavy gunfire as the train passed through a tunnel early in its journey.
The harrowing ordeal resulted in the deaths of 27 hostages at the hands of the militants, alongside one soldier. At least 35 insurgents were killed during the military’s rescue operation, the security source stated.
Aboard the train were around 450 passengers when chaos erupted. In the aftermath, one woman who managed to escape described the scene as akin to the “Day of Judgement,” recalling how she fled gunfire and walked for hours to reach safety.
Another survivor, Mohammad Ashraf, recounted seeing more than 100 armed men but insisted that no harm was inflicted on women and children.
The security source also alleged that the militants were in communication with handlers in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s military has long accused its neighbor of providing a safe haven for insurgent groups, a claim Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership has consistently denied.
A Deepening Insurgency
Tuesday’s hijacking underscores the intensifying separatist movement in Balochistan, where militants demand greater political rights and economic opportunities.
Despite its wealth in natural resources, the region remains underdeveloped, and its ethnic Baloch population has grown increasingly frustrated with federal policies seen as discriminatory.
The ongoing insurgency has gained momentum in recent years, especially after China leased the deep-water Gwadar port as part of its Belt and Road Initiative.
Touted as “the next Dubai,” the port has instead become a security flashpoint, with repeated attacks targeting Chinese workers and infrastructure.
According to analysts, the latest assault signifies a new level of sophistication in militant operations. Abdul Basit, a Senior Associate Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, warned that Pakistan’s current counterinsurgency strategy is failing.
“The larger point that the Pakistani state is not grasping … is that it’s not business as usual anymore,” Basit said. “The insurgency has evolved both in its strategy and scale.”
He further criticized Pakistan’s continued reliance on outdated security measures, stating, “Instead of revising its counterproductive policies, it is persisting with them, resulting in recurrent security and intelligence failures.”
A Pattern of Violence
The BLA has been behind some of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan over the past year. In November, a suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta killed more than two dozen people.
A month prior, the group targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers, resulting in two fatalities.
Following the latest assault, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed his government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism.
“The terrorists’ targeting of innocent passengers during the peaceful and blessed month of Ramadan is a clear reflection that these terrorists have no connection with the religion of Islam, Pakistan, and Balochistan,” Sharif stated.
With China heavily invested in Balochistan’s infrastructure, Tuesday’s attack has drawn international concern. Basit emphasized that urgent reforms are necessary to address the security crisis.
“This incident has gained global attention, and it will worry China, which has its investments in the province, more than any other state,” he noted. “A major reset of the existing security paradigm is required in Balochistan.”
