In Pakistan in a major escalation of separatist conflict, militants in Balochistan province attacked a Peshawar-bound train on Tuesday, taking nearly 450 passengers hostage, including women and children. Later, it released civilian hostages and took 214 people in captivity, including military personnel.
In a statement, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the hostage crisis and stated that they had taken hostages from the train, including security forces. The militant group said, ‘More than 30 military personnel were killed in the attack’.
On Tuesday, BLA militants hijacked the Jaffar Express, a passenger train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar. The attackers detonated explosives to derail the train and engaged in gunfire with security personnel, resulting in multiple casualties.
The BLA targets security forces in Balochistan and in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and economic center in the neighbouring Sindh province. In November 2022, the group’s confidence grew following the Pakistani Taliban broke a ceasefire with the government in November 2022, instructing is fighters to restart their attacks on the military.
The BLA has a history of targeting security forces, civilians, and foreign nationals, specifically Chinese workers involved in infrastructure projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
About BLA’s Goals
The BLA wants independence for Balochistan, a province situated in Pakistan’s southwest and bordering Afghanistan to the north and Iran to the west.
It’s the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the federal government for decades, stating it exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources. The insurgents have been fighting consistently to lay a claim to local resources which they say belong to their people.
For the Baloch insurgents and Islamist militants, Balochistan’s mountainous border region serves as a safe haven and training ground.
BLA’S TARGETS?
The BLA targets security forces and infrastructure in Balochistan, most notably the southern port city of Karachi.
Pakistan’s army and Chinese interests are the insurgents target in particular the strategic port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, accusing Beijing of helping Islamabad to exploit the province.
Militants have killed Chinese citizens working in the region and attacked Beijing’s consulate in Karachi. Separately, the BLA was also at the centre of tit-for-tat strikes in 2024 between Iran and Pakistan over what they called militant bases on each other’s territory, which brought the neighbours close to war.
Comments