Pakistani forces rescue 155 hostages from hijacked train

Pakistani security forces have freed at least 155 passengers from a train held hostage by Baloch militants, security sources said Wednesday.

The Jaffar Express, traveling from Quetta to Peshawar, came under attack Tuesday when gunmen opened fire, injuring at least three people, including the train driver, according to eyewitnesses.

The separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack.

So far, 27 attackers have been killed in a security operation launched by the Pakistan Army after initial reports indicated a hostage situation in Sibbi district of southwest Balochistan province.

The hijackers have remained in contact with their collaborators in Afghanistan, security sources said. Some suicide bombers have also been strategically placed near the passengers, raising concerns they could be used as human shields, the sources added.

450 passengers on board

"Over 450 passengers onboard are being held hostage by gunmen," Muhammad Kashif, a senior railway official in Quetta, told AFP on Tuesdayshortly after the attack.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, calling the assailants "beasts" who deserve "no leniency". He also wished a swift recovery for the injured.

Security forces have surrounded the assailants, but the rugged and mountainous terrain has made access difficult. Hospitals in Sibi and Dhadar have been placed on emergency alert, and ambulances have been dispatched to the site.

Eyewitness account

Hostages freed on Tuesday said they had to walk for hours through mountainous terrain to reach safety.

"I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying," Muhammad Bilal who had been traveling with his mother on the Jaffar Express train, told AFP.

Zahid Masih, another hostage who was freed, told Nukta: "I heard gunfire, and then a powerful explosion shook the train."

"I don’t know why they let me go as most of those released were women and children—perhaps it was because I am Christian," he speculated.

Worry mounts for families of hostages

For the families of passengers still on the train, every passing minute adds to their anxiety.

“I dropped my father at the station in the morning. He was traveling to Gujranwala to offer condolences to a relative," Abdur Rauf, son of hostage Umar Farooq, told Nukta.

"After the train departed, I returned home, but when news of the attack broke, I tried calling him—his phone was switched off. We have no idea where he is or what condition he might be in. All we can do is hope for the best,” he said.

Longstanding insurgency

Security forces have been battling a decades-long insurgency in impoverished Balochistan, but violence has soared in the western border regions with Afghanistan, from north to south, since the Taliban took back power in 2021.

*With input from AFP and correspondent Kamran Ali

*This is a developing story