Baloch Liberation Army hijacks train in Pakistan, takes over 100 hostages

Lahore: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has hijacked a train in southwestern Pakistan, taking more than 100 people hostage and issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to the government. The group has demanded the release of all Baloch political prisoners and individuals subjected to enforced disappearances.

Pakistani security forces claimed to have freed 80 hostages, while the BLA alleged that six security personnel were killed in the attack. The assailants also shot the train driver, leaving him seriously injured.

The incident occurred when the Jafar Express, traveling from Quetta in Balochistan to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, came under fire. The train remains stationed inside a tunnel several hours after the attack, with security forces cordoning off the area.

The BLA, a separatist militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that security officers were among the hostages.

The provincial government has directed authorities to take emergency measures, and an emergency has been declared at Civil Hospital Quetta.