Pakistan Train Hijack: Baloch Militants Execute 50 Hostages

The Baloch insurgents who hijacked a train and took over 200 passengers hostage in Pakistan's Balochistan claimed on Wednesday that they had executed 50 hostages in retaliation for the Pakistan Army's offensive against them.

They warned that Pakistan had 20 hours to secure the remaining hostages by halting military operations and releasing Baloch prisoners.

Photo Credit: PTI

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the train on Tuesday after detonating explosives on the tracks and opening fire on the Quetta-Peshawar Jaffar Express in a remote part of the volatile Balochistan province. The train was carrying approximately 500 passengers, with the attackers taking 212 of them hostage.

"Earlier, in response to last night's Pakistani drone strike, 10 enemy personnel were executed. Additionally, in today's clashes, another 10 Pakistani soldiers were eliminated, while 30 were killed in combat yesterday. This brings the total number of eliminated enemy personnel to over 100, while approximately 150 more hostages remain under BLA custody," the insurgents stated in their latest declaration.

Local media reports suggest that the offensive against the militants is now in its final stages.

In his first response to the incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asserted that such attacks would not deter the nation's commitment to peace and claimed that numerous terrorists had been neutralised.

"The entire nation is deeply shocked by this dastardly act and saddened by the loss of innocent lives - such cowardly acts will not shake Pakistan's resolve for peace. ... Dozens of the terrorists have been sent to hell," he posted on social media.

The BLA issued a "final and unequivocal warning," stating, "If the occupying military initiates another act of aggression, all remaining hostages will be executed immediately."

"Pakistan now has only 20 hours left. If concrete steps toward a prisoner exchange are not taken within this time, then with every passing hour, more hostages will be tried by the Baloch National Court and executed accordingly," their statement further warned.

According to the insurgents, all those held in captivity are members of Pakistan's Army, police, Frontier Corps, and other security forces.

Shortly after hijacking the train on Tuesday, the militants demanded the release of Baloch prisoners, warning that they would execute all hostages if any military action was taken. Earlier today, the insurgents stated that the hostages would be "tried for state atrocities, colonial occupation, genocide, exploitation, and involvement in war crimes in Balochistan" if the army failed to respond to their demands within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, security forces have reportedly rescued 190 passengers from the hijacked train, killing at least 30 militants in the process, as they work to free the remaining hostages. Security sources confirmed that some hostages had already been killed.

Defence sources indicated that the military operation against the insurgents was in its final phase. The insurgents claimed to have released women and children, but officials contested this, asserting that the militants had been using them as human shields before their rescue.

Junior Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry told local media that the militants were wearing suicide vests while sitting among the hostages, further complicating the rescue efforts.