An army general stated on Wednesday (March 12, 2025) that extremists holding hostages had taken control of a train in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, killing 21 passengers and four paramilitary personnel. Security troops killed all 33 militants on the spot, according to Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif.
“The armed forces successfully concluded the operation on Wednesday (March 12, 2025) evening by killing all terrorists and rescuing all passengers safely,” Lt Gen Sharif said. He claimed that when the terrorists attacked the train on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, they killed 21 passengers. He noted that the tragedy also claimed the lives of four paramilitary Frontier Corps members.
The Jaffar Express, which had nine coaches and 440 passengers, was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar when militants used explosives to derail it and took control of it in a tunnel 160 kilometers from Quetta, close to the hilly regions of Gudalar and Piru Kunri. On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the incident, claiming to have killed six soldiers.
According to Lt. Gen. Sharif, terrorists detonated a railroad track in the Bolan Pass neighborhood of Osi Pur on March 11 at approximately 1:00 p.m. He characterized the region as challenging terrain, where the terrorists first employed women and children as human shields while holding prisoners. “The rescue operation began immediately, with participation from the Army, Air Force, Frontier Corps, and Special Services Group commandos,” he said.
“During the operation, the terrorists remained in contact with their facilitators and masterminds in Afghanistan via satellite phones,” he said, adding that it showed their foreign nexus. Lt. Gen. Sharif stated that because the terrorists were using the hostages as human shields, it took time for the forces to finish the operation.
He added that several hostages, including women and children, were released on Wednesday (March 12, 2025), and that by last evening, about 100 passengers had been safely released from the terrorists. “The rescue operation continued periodically, and in the final clearance operation in the evening, all remaining hostages were secured. Since the terrorists were using passengers as human shields, the operation was conducted with extreme precision and caution,” he told.
Lt. Gen. Sharif said that first, snipers neutralized the suicide bombers, followed by a step-by-step clearance of each train compartment, eliminating all terrorists present. He said that no passengers were harmed during the clearance operation.
Lt. Gen. Sharif stated that all terrorists present at the site had been eliminated, but the area and train were still being cleared as per standard operating procedures by the bomb disposal squad. He said that efforts were also underway to gather passengers who had fled in different directions during the operation. The general warned that “the train attack has changed the rule of the game”, without explaining it.
He said that the terrorists and their facilitators would be hunted down wherever they were. “We cannot allow anyone to target Pakistanis on the behalf of their foreign paymasters,” he said. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry earlier told the Geo News that the passengers included civilians, government employees and security personnel.
Earlier in the day, officials said that some of the militants wearing vests loaded with explosives had formed groups of women and children and forced them to sit near them. Due to the presence of women and children with the suicide bombers, the operation was being conducted with utmost caution, they added. A security source earlier said that around 30 people who sustained injuries had been sent to hospitals.
Minister Mohsin Naqvi commended security forces for successfully rescuing all hostages and eliminating all 33 terrorists involved in the attack. “This terrorist attack is a tragic and heartbreaking incident. Every citizen is deeply saddened,” he added. “Using innocent children and women as human shields is an utterly inhumane act.”
“Terrorists are a burden on this land, and with the nation’s support, the time has come to eradicate this menace once and for all,” he declared. “The facilitators of these terrorists will also be dealt with an iron hand.” Mushtaq Muhammad, who was among the passengers rescued from the train, told that there was a huge explosion and firing, a scene that can never be forgotten.
Ishaq Noor, who was travelling with his wife and two children, in coach number seven of the same train, said the explosion was so intense that the windows and doors of the train shook and one of my children, who was sitting near me, fell.
Seeing the firing and bullets hitting the coaches, Mr. Ishaq pulled one of his children under him while his wife pulled the other child under her so that “if a bullet hits us, the children will be saved.” “The firing must have lasted for about fifty minutes… During this time, we were not even breathing, not knowing what would happen.”
Mr. Mushtaq said that the firing gradually stopped, and the armed men entered the coaches. “They started checking the identity cards of some people and separated some of them. Three militants were guarding the doors of our coach. They told the people that they would not say anything to civilians, women, old people and Baloch people,” he told.
Mr. Ishaq said that in the evening, the attackers told the passengers that they were releasing Baloch, women, children and elderly passengers. This is the first time the BLA or any insurgent group in the Balochistan province have resorted to hijacking a passenger train, although since last year, they have stepped up their attacks on security forces, installations and foreigners in different parts of the province.
The US Embassy in Islamabad strongly condemned the attack on the train and the hostage-taking of passengers. The US will remain a steadfast partner of Pakistan in its efforts to ensure the safety and security of all its citizens, it added. “We stand in solidarity with Pakistan during this difficult time.”
“We strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Balochistan on 11 March. Our deepest condolences go the people of Pakistan and families of victims. As the situation is still unfolding, we express our profound concern for the hostages and call for their immediate release,” EU Ambassador to Pakistan Riina Kionka said in a post on X. Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year.
Baloch terrorists have previously used rockets or remote-controlled bombs to strike the railway rails in this area; the BLA has claimed responsibility for the majority of these attacks.
After more than a month and a half of suspension, Pakistan Railways declared in October of last year that train services between Quetta and Peshawar will resume. A month later, a suicide explosion tore through a Quetta railway station, killing at least 26 people and injuring 62 more.
There has been a bloody insurgency in Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. Attacks by Baloch militant organizations often target government projects, security forces, and the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the region, which is rich in minerals and hydrocarbons.
