A video of the attack and hijack of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in Pakistan's Bolan district was released on Wednesday evening amidst the ongoing military operation to free the hostages. The said footage that demonstrated how the hijack took place was reportedly released by the Hakkal Media which is considered the mouthpiece of the separatist BLA.
The viral video showed an explosion happening near the locomotive intended to bring it to a halt in the middle of nowhere. As the blast served its purpose, forcing the loco pilot to apply breaks, the video showed BLA fighters emerging from their hideouts and taking control of the train. Hostages were seen being lined outside in the open by the BLA insurgents, who clearly had split them into separate groups.
Many men seen in the video donning arms wore traditional kurti and pathani suits.
How BLA seized control of Jaffar Express?
Pakistan believes that 70 to 80 BLA fighters were involved in the incident and at least 30 have been neutralised so far by security personnel during the ongoing rescue operations.
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:
🚨🇵🇰 Visuals of the attack and seizure of Jaffar Express by Baloch Liberation Army have emerged, highlighting the violence and turmoil in Balochistan. The world must pay attention to the plight of the Baloch people.
— THE SQUADRON (@THE_SQUADR0N) March 12, 2025
Video Courtesy - HAKKAL MEDIA#Balochistan #HumanRights… pic.twitter.com/gu7JlwYfbd
On Tuesday, the train came under attack close to the Mashkaf Tunnel in Balochistan's Bolan district, located about 157 kilometres from Quetta. After the tracks were blown up, they also fired rockets into the vicinity of the trail around 1:00 PM local time, Reuters said.Â
While many passengers, primarily women, children and Baloch citizens, were let go by the hijackers around 200 of the 400 passengers remain under captivity. Militants wearing suicide vests are seated among passengers, the government told the press on Wednesday. Hundreds of security personnel, helicopters and other equipment have been drafted into the effort to rescue the hostages in the remote mountainous area where the train was stopped. The train driver and several others have already been killed, the government confirmed.
