Race to rescue Jaffar Express hostages in Balochistan – Newspaper

• Nearly dozen, including security personnel, lose their lives in gun battle with terrorists near Mashkaf Tunnel
• Around 104, including women and children, rescued; dozens still held by assailants hiding in the hills
• Minister says attackers using civilians as ‘human shields’; president and PM promise no quarter for ‘beastly terrorists’

QUETTA: An unprecedented hostage situation unfolded on Tuesday after terrorists attacked the Jaffar Express in a rugged part of Balochistan, taking more than 400 passengers hostage, including a sizeable number of security personnel.

Although hampered by the remoteness of the area, security forces said they had launched a massive operation in the Dhadar area of Bolan Pass to rescue the hostages, killing at least 16 of the attackers.

There was no confirmation of the total number of casualties, but officials said that at least 10 people, including the driver of the locomotive, had perished in the attack.

Security forces claimed to have rescued over 100 passengers — including women and children — from the attackers, who had taken the hostages into the treacherous mountains of the Bolan range.

It was not immediately clear whether these people had been freed as the result of kinetic military action, or were among those allegedly freed by the armed assailants.

An operation to recover the rest of the missing passengers and bring the attackers to justice continued in the area around the Mushkaf Tunnel. Due to the sensitive nature of the action underway, Dawn will not report any critical operational details until the situation has been resolved.

The hijacking is a first of its kind event, as terrorists had never attempted to attack or take an entire train and its occupants hostage earlier.

The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, and claimed to have taken a large number of people hostage. The group also claimed that they had freed a number of people — including women and children — but these reports could not be independently verified.

Attack near tunnel

Railway officials told Dawn the train left Quetta for Peshawar around 9am, with 450 passengers in nine bogies. Around 1pm, they received information that the train had come under attack between the Paneer and Peshi railway stations, near Railway Tunnel No 8, located near Mushkaf.

“Armed men fired rockets at the locomotive and opened fire, which caused the train to stop. The driver of the locomotive was seriously injured,” officials said, adding that a heavy exchange of fire took place between security personnel and the attackers.

Reports suggest that the attackers martyred a number of security personnel and hijacked the train. They then started checking passengers’ identities and took some passengers hostage before they fled.

Sources said that a large group of armed attackers, carrying automatic weapons and rocket launchers, were sheltered in the mountains. They also damaged the railway line with explosives.

“According to security sources, terrorists split into small groups due to security forces’ operation. Injured passengers have been shifted to nearby hospital while additional security squads are taking part in the operation in the area,” reports aired on state media said.

‘Extra care’

According to Imran Hayat, the Railways Divisional Superintendent (DS) in Quetta, ten people — including the driver of the locomotive and eight security personnel — had lost their lives.

Security officials said that the rescue operation was being executing with extra care, due to the presence of hostages in the terrorists’ captivity.

Around 104 passengers who were recovered by security forces were shifted to the nearby Paneer railway station, including 58 men, 31 women and 15 children. A relief train had evacuated them to nearby Mach station, while efforts are underway for the safe recovery of the remaining passengers.

Railway officials said that around 750 passengers were booked to travel in the Jaffar Express, but the train left Quetta with around 450 people onboard.

Sources said that over 200 security personnel were also travelling on the same train.

According to the government’s statement, an emergency has been imposed at the Sibi hospital, while ambulances and security forces were on their way to the site of the incident.

“The scale of the incident and the possibility of terrorist elements are being determined. The Balochistan government has ordered that emergency measures be taken, and all institutions remain active,” Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry told Geo News that many people had been taken off the train and were being used as human shields by the terrorists.

The state minister said security forces were treading carefully because of the lives involved, saying that the operation was still underway.

“They are cowards. They [pick] soft targets. They attack while hiding,” he said.

Condemnations

President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the incident and paid tribute to the security forces for their “effective action” and rescuing passengers.

“Attacks on innocent citizens and passengers are inhumane and heinous acts. Those who attack passengers are against Balochistan and its traditions.

“The Baloch nation rejects those who attack and take hostages innocent passengers, elders and children. No religion or society allows such heinous acts,” he was quoted as saying in a statement from the Presidency.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said PM Shehbaz Sharif lauded the security forces for pushing back the terrorists towards a retreat with their “timely action and bravery”.

He added that they would complete the operation soon and “bring the cowardly terrorists to their end”.

“The beastly terrorists who carry out the cowardly attack do not deserve any concession. Terrorists are the enemies of the development of Balochistan,” he said as he pointed out that the targeting of “innocent travellers” in the holy month of Ramazan was a “clear reflection of the fact that these terrorists have no connection with the religion of Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan”.

“We will continue the war against the monster of terrorism until it is completely eradicated from the country. We will thwart every conspiracy to spread insecurity and chaos in Pakistan.

“We will never allow the evil intentions of anti-national elements to succeed. The entire nation stands by its security forces in this war against terrorism,” the premier was quoted as saying.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2025