On Tuesday, the Jaffar Express, a train with almost 400 passengers traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, was hijacked by Balochistan separatists. The train was ambushed while it was moving through the hilly Bolan Pass, an area with colonial-era tunnels, by militants of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist movement seeking the independence of Balochistan from Pakistan. The BLA took responsibility for the attack, reporting that they killed soldiers and planted a bomb on the tracks, blocking the movement of the train.

In a major breakthrough on Wednesday, Pakistan’s army confirmed the successful conclusion of a counter-offensive operation to rescue the hostages on board the Jaffar Express. The train, which had 440 passengers, was hijacked by militants in Balochistan on Tuesday, just minutes after it was derailed by explosives near the treacherous Gudalar and Piru Kunri tunnels, some 160 kilometers from Quetta.

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Let’s see what exactly happened:

Details of the Attack

The route of the train took it from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, to Peshawar, covering a distance of more than 1,600 kilometers. The attack was made at about 1:00 PM local time when the train was traveling close to Sibi city. Once they stopped the train, the assailants said they had hostages with them, including security officers, and gave a 48-hour deadline to free political prisoners and activists. Pakistani security authorities promptly acted over the crisis.

Demands of the BLA

The BLA’s demands were focused on the unconditional release of Baloch political prisoners, missing persons, and national resistance activists. As the group continued to keep the hostages, the Pakistani government condemned the attack. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi labeled the attackers “beasts” and wished for the recovery of the injured passengers.

Timeline of the Crisis and Rescue Operations

The hijacking continued for more than a day, and Pakistani military troops fought in an armed battle to take back control of the situation. On Tuesday night, 70 people, including women, children, and old men, arrived at Panir station, six kilometers from the site of the attack. They covered the rest of the journey on foot, along the tracks. With the intensity of the rescue operations growing by Wednesday afternoon, over 155 passengers were evacuated and relocated to Mach station where they were served food and treated with medical supplies before they left for Quetta. By nightfall on Wednesday, officials said the military operation was completed.

Details of the Rescue Operation

Pakistan’s armed forces undertook a bold and intricate rescue mission. In a statement issued by the Pakistani military, the operation was conducted in phases to facilitate the safe release of the hostages. “After a long, intense and bold operation, the security forces successfully cleared all 33 terrorists including suicide bombers, while rescuing the hostages in a phased manner,” the statement clarified.

On Wednesday, 178 hostages were rescued by the forces, on top of the 168 passengers rescued on Tuesday.

The mission involved different branches of the military, such as the Pakistan Army, Special Services Group (SSG), and other security forces, who collaborated to neutralize the militants and make the train safe from any threats.

Among the major challenges encountered by the military was the fact that there were suicide bombers among the captives. To counter this, snipers were used strategically to eliminate the bombers without putting the lives of the captives at risk.

Hostages were extracted by the military forces carefully in a step-by-step manner so that each hostage batch was rescued while keeping casualties low.

Casualties and Losses

Though 346 passengers were safely rescued, the attack was not cheap. 28 individuals, including passengers, a paramilitary soldier, and the train driver, lost their lives in the attack and the subsequent military action. Security personnel were able to kill all 33 hijackers who took part in the hijacking, and the standoff ended.

Hostages Share ‘Harrowing Stories’

Survivors of the hijacked Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s Balochistan province have recounted chilling tales of the horror they experienced when militants hijacked the train and took many passengers hostage.

One of the survivors, Ishaq Noor, recalled the horror of the incident in an interview with the BBC, saying, “We were holding our breath during the firing, without knowing what was going to happen.” Noor, who was traveling with his wife and two children, said that all the passengers froze with fear when explosions shook the train. One of his children was blown out of the seat by the initial blast. Noor and his wife frantically protected their children, telling them, “If a bullet comes our way, it will hit us and not the children.”

Muhammad Ashraf, who was returning from Quetta to Lahore to see his family. Ashraf said the mood on board was “a scene of doomsday.” He was among a group of passengers who escaped late Tuesday. They trekked for close to four hours to the nearest railway station with weaker passengers such as women and children. “We reached the station with lots of difficulty, because we were exhausted and had children and women with us,” he explained.

Mushtaq Muhammad, who was on board the train in the third carriage, told us how people were filled with terror when the terrorists spoke in Balochi. The militant leader could be heard ordering his men to “keep an eye” on the security forces so that they would not loose grip of the situation.

The driver of the train, Amjad Yasin, who had been driving for 24 years, was said to have been injured in the attack. His family members in Quetta are waiting with bated breath for information about his condition. Yasin had also survived an attack eight years ago when explosives were used against a train he was driving. His brother Amir echoed their family’s constant concern, saying, “For the last few weeks, we were under tremendous pressure that something is going to happen because there was an atmosphere of fear.”

Surge in Violent Incidents

The BLA has intensified its activities over the past months. In Kalat city alone, 18 troops were killed in a single BLA attack, and a female suicide bomber struck at police officers in early March. The hijacking of the train is the first time separatists have successfully hijacked an entire train, an unusual and daring act in the region.

The growing strength of the BLA is also due to the inability of the state to properly counter the group. The BLA initially used small-scale operations, like targeting individuals or destroying infrastructure. The group has, however, upgraded to large-scale operations, reflecting their increasing audacity and confidence in their ability to escape government crackdowns. Experts opine that the improved capabilities of the group, including the availability of sophisticated weapons, has greatly increased their effectiveness.

Train Hijackings: A Rare Occurrence

Train hijackings are a rare occurrence in the world, the most significant having been in early 20th century, the 1923 hijacking of a train in China and 2009 of an Indian one. Although the hijacking of trains is less common, the recent attack on the Jaffar Express heralds a new and disturbing dimension to Balochistan’s perennial problem.