The nine-coach Jafar Express, carrying around 500 passengers from Quetta to Peshawar, was hijacked by the BLA militants after blowing up a railway track.
Digital Desk: The 30-hour deadly hostage situation on Pakistan's train ended as all the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants, who hijacked the passenger train on March 11, were killed by the security forces in the country's Mach, southwest Balochistan province.
All the hostages were rescued successfully after an intense military operation. However, the militants killed 21 passengers and 4 paramilitary soldiers, an Army official said.
Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the military operation against the ethnic armed militants had successfully reached its 'logical conclusion'.
The nine-coach Jafar Express, carrying around 500 passengers from Quetta to Peshawar, was hijacked by the BLA militants after blowing up a railway track.
Some of the passengers who escaped or were released after the violent attack, described the horror situation as gunmen took control of the train, checking identity cards, and shooting soldiers but releasing some of the families.
A passenger said that militants separated women, children, and elderly people from the rest of the passengers. However, some passengers could not get out of the train due to severe injuries. The militants entered the train and shot them all.
Rescued passengers were being sent to their homes. The injured were admitted to a hospital in Quetta, as per report.
The BLA is demanding more autonomy from Islamabad as they allege that the government has been neglecting the Balochistan province while exploiting its natural resources such as coal, gold, copper, and gas, which triggered separatist movements in the region.
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