Pakistani security forces have engaged in a deadly firefight with separatist militants after a passenger train was hijacked in the country’s volatile Balochistan province, leaving around 300 hostages trapped on board.
At least 27 militants have been killed so far as elite forces attempt to free the hostages, who were seized when the train was ambushed on Tuesday while passing through a tunnel in the rugged Bolan district.
Security officials say they have rescued more than 150 of the 450 passengers so far, including women and children, but warned that the remaining hostages are at grave risk as the attackers are reportedly wearing suicide vests loaded with explosives.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it is prepared to negotiate a prisoner swap in exchange for the hostages’ release.
However, there has been no response from the Pakistani government, and tensions remain high as security forces surround the militants.
The train, identified as the Jafar Express, was travelling from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when it was attacked on Tuesday.
The train was left trapped inside a tunnel after the assault, during which it came under fire and the driver was wounded, police and railway officials said yesterday.
Militants reportedly blew up the railway track before opening fire on security personnel on board, according to government spokesman Shahid Rind.
A passenger, who was rescued from a train after it was attacked by separatist militants, receives medical aid at the Mach Railway Station in Mach, Balochistan, Pakistan, March 11, 2025
Passengers rescued from the Peshawar bound Jaffar express train that was attacked by suspected militants in Sibi, reach the railway station in Quetta, the provincial capital of restive Balochistan province, Pakistan, 12 March 2025
Footage released by the BLA on Wednesday morning shows the vehicle erupting in a cloud of smoke
The train came to a grinding halt and dozens of fighters were seen taking passengers hostage
Paramilitary soldiers stand guard at a railway station in the Sibi district of southwestern Balochistan province on March 12, 2025, during a security operation against militants a day after they hijacked a passenger train
Pakistani security officials stand guard after passengers rescued from the Peshawar bound Jaffar express train that was attacked by suspected militants in Sibi
A paramilitary soldier takes position at a railway station near the attack site of a passenger train by insurgents, in Mushkaf in Bolan district of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, Wednesday, March 12, 2025
‘This is an act of terrorism,’ Rind declared.
Footage released by the BLA on Wednesday morning captured the moment of the attack and seizure, showing the train making its way down the track before erupting in a cloud of black smoke.
BLA fighters are also supposedly seen gathered on a distant hill before the vehicle grinds to a halt.
There had been reports of heavy fire on the railway, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government said yesterday, however due to the difficult terrain in the area it was difficult for authorities to reach the scene.
He added that a relief train had been dispatched to the scene and that security forces were working in the area.
Several of those rescued were brought to Quetta early Wednesday, escorted by security forces, where their relatives were waiting for them.
‘People were attacked … passengers were injured and some passengers died,’ said Muhammad Ashraf, who was on the train.
Several witnesses interviewed by Geo News said they were asked by security personnel to stay low when there was gunfire.
A woman, who said her son was among the passengers still held hostage, confronted provincial minister Mir Zahoor Buledi when he visited the freed passengers.
‘If you cannot protect trains, then you should not run them. Please, bring my son back,’ she said.
Pakistan Railways has suspended all operations from Punjab and Sindh provinces to Balochistan until security agencies confirm the area is safe , local media reported on Wednesday.
The area where the train is halted is a mountainous region making it easier for militants to have hideouts and plan attacks.
Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the attack and said the government would not make any concessions to ‘beasts who fire on innocent passengers’
A soldier works to evacuate freed train passengers at the Mach railway station, which has been turned into a makeshift hospital
A Pakistani military helicopter hovers over a railway station in the Sibi district of southwestern Balochistan province on March 12, 2025
Several witnesses interviewed by Geo News said they were asked by security personnel to stay low when there was gunfire
The train, identified as the Jafar Express, was travelling from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when it was attacked
A paramilitary soldier stands guard at a railway station in the Sibi district of southwestern Balochistan province on March 12, 2025
Militants bombed a section of the railway track and stormed the train on March 11 afternoon in southwest Balochistan province, where attacks by separatists have been on the rise
But the hostage crisis has also drawn international condemnation, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres calling for the immediate release of the hostages.
‘This attack is deeply concerning. All hostages must be released unharmed,’ UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has long been a hotbed of separatist violence.
The resource-rich region, home to valuable oil and mineral reserves, has been plagued by insurgency for decades.
Ethnic Baloch separatists accuse the central government of exploitation and discrimination.
Trains in Balochistan are typically accompanied by armed guards due to the high threat of attacks.
In November, a suicide bombing at a railway station in Quetta – also claimed by a separatist group – killed 26 people including security personnel, railway staff and passengers.
A decades-old insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region, pressing demands for a share in its resources.
The oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but also least populated province.
It is a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.
The BLA seeks independence for Balochistan. It is the biggest of several ethnic insurgent groups that have battled the South Asian nation’s government for decades, saying it unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.
As the tense standoff continues, Pakistani forces face a race against time to secure the hostages’ release and prevent the situation from spiralling into further bloodshed.
