QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani authorities on Wednesday said an insurgent attack on a train carrying hundreds of people has ended, with more than 50 attackers killed following a daylong standoff. Some of the hostages taken were killed.
Sarfraz Bugti, the Chief Minister in Balochistan province, told a provincial assembly that “we people have also been martyred, but we will share details later.”
Security officials said over 300 hostages were rescued and the operation had concluded. They gave no details about the hostages killed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The separatists attacked the train carrying about 450 people Tuesday in a tunnel in a remote part of southwestern Balochistan province.
The separatist Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility. Spokesman Jeeyand Baloch had said the group was ready to free passengers if authorities agree to release jailed militants. There was no comment on that from the government, which has rejected such demands in the past.
The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and has also in the past attacked civilians, including Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Pakistan hosts thousands of Chinese workers building major infrastructure projects, including ports and airports in Balochistan. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said her country "will continue to firmly support Pakistan in advancing its counterterrorism efforts.”
What happened?
The train was traveling from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when it came under attack. Officials say the Jafer Express train was partially inside a tunnel when the militants blew up the tracks, forcing the engine and nine coaches to stop.
Authorities have said the rescued include women and children. An undisclosed number of security personnel were killed, according to the security officials.
Rescued passengers were being sent to their hometowns, and the injured were being treated at hospitals in the Mach district. Others were taken to Quetta, the provincial capital, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away.
A region of insurgents
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been the scene of insurgency with separatists demanding greater autonomy from the government in Islamabad and a larger share of the region’s natural resources.
Also, insurgencies on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border have frustrated both countries. Their governments suspect each other of supporting — or at least tolerating — some of the groups operating on the other side of the border.
In Iran, the militant group Jaish al-Adl has carried out many attacks in recent years. Tehran has sought help from Pakistan in countering the threat from it, and Pakistan also wants Tehran to deny sanctuaries to BLA fighters.
In January 2024, Islamabad and Tehran engaged in tit-for-tat airstrikes targeting insurgents inside each other’s border areas, killing at least 11 people, but quickly deescalated the situation through talks.
What did the hijackers want?
The BLA had warned that the hostages' lives would be at risk if the government did not negotiate.
Trains in Balochistan typically have security personnel on board as members of the military frequently use trains to travel from Quetta to other parts of the country. In November, The BLA carried out a suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta, killing 26 people.
Analysts said the train attack and its focus on civilians could backfire.
“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,” said Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based independent security analyst.
Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and least populated province. It’s a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.
Angry relatives
Some relatives of hostages gathered Wednesday at the train station in Quetta.
Many were angry at Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who last year claimed that the BLA was not a threat and “an ordinary police inspector could fix this situation.”
Shams Ullah Khan said two relatives were taken hostage. Another man, Hamad Khan, said his brother was a hostage. Families were desperate for information.
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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers; Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan; Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan; and Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
Abdul Sattar And Munir Ahmed, The Associated Press