At least 13 terrorists were killed and 80 passengers rescued by security forces after suspected Baloch militants hijacked a train in a tunnel in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Tuesday, security officials said.
The Jaffar Express, carrying approximately 500 passengers in nine bogies, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when armed men intercepted it in a tunnel near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri on Tuesday morning.
Security officials said so far they have killed 13 terrorists and rescued 80 passengers.
The rescue operation is underway, they said.
Earlier, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said, “The security forces have managed to rescue 80 passengers -- 43 men, 26 women and 11 children -- from a bogie."
However, around 400 passengers remained on the train, still trapped inside the tunnel as security forces engaged in a gun battle with the militants, he said.
Rind said rescue teams have been dispatched amid reports of “intense” firing at the Peshawar-bound passenger train.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed it seized control of the train by derailing it. The group said it has killed six security personnel and taken over 100 people in custody, including security personnel.
However, the Pakistani authorities did not comment on the group's claim.
In a statement, the BLA warned that if the Pakistan military launches an operation, "all hostages will be executed". The group is banned in Pakistan, the UK and the US.
Official data on casualties was not available, but security sources said that the train driver and several passengers were injured in the gunfire.
Rind said rescue teams have been dispatched amid reports of “intense” firing at the Peshawar-bound passenger train.
An emergency was declared in the local hospitals.
Security sources said that the operation will continue till the elimination of the last terrorist. They said the operation is complicated due to the difficult terrain.
Railway officials confirmed that the train's driver sustained serious injuries, and an emergency relief train has been dispatched to assist.
Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif said that the train, comprising nine coaches, had around 500 passengers on board.
“The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8,” the controller said.
There are 17 tunnels in this area on the railway line and due to the difficult terrain, the speed of the train is often slow.
The Balochistan government directed local authorities to take “emergency measures”.
A provincial government statement said an emergency was imposed at Sibi hospital.
Citing security sources, Geo News reported that the train was stopped after a portion of the track was blown up by the terrorists, who opened fire on the engine, injuring the driver.
Security officials present on the train and the attackers exchanged fire, they said, adding that the terrorists then took control of the train in a tunnel.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident, saying: "The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions.”
Rana Muhammad Dilawar, the district police officer in the affected area, said that security forces have surrounded the site, but there were reports that militants had taken some women and children hostage. He said that four to five government officials were also on board the train.
Tariq Mahmood, a senior official at Peshawar Railway Station, urged people not to believe unverified rumours on social media.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said there was a hostage like situation after the attack on the Jaffar Express, as many passengers had been taken from the train by the militants to the nearby mountainous area. He said that women and children were being used as shields.
Speaking to Geo News, the minister also confirmed that there are some government officials and their families on the train.
“The incident took place this afternoon in which the train was hijacked. This is a remote area and there is a tunnel between two stations where this incident took place,” he said.
He rejected the claim by the rebels that they freed women and children. “There is no truth in it that they have left the women and children behind; rather it is because of the women and children that the security forces are acting with utmost caution,” the minister said, adding that the operation was still going on.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur strongly condemned the attack on the train and expressed concern over the hostage-taking of passengers by the terrorists.
"Targeting innocent passengers and endangering their lives is a cowardly and brutal act," Gandapur said.
In the past, the railway tracks in this area have been attacked by Baloch militants using rockets or remote-controlled bombs, and the BLA claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
In October last year, Pakistan Railways announced the restoration of train services between Quetta and Peshawar after a suspension of more than a month and a half.
Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station.
Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups frequently carry out attacks targeting security personnel, government projects and the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the oil and mineral-rich province.
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