The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which demands the independence of Balochistan from Pakistan, has stated in a press release that it has seized a train and taken hundreds of passengers hostage. The BLA also claimed that six Pakistani soldiers were killed in the incident. Railway officials told the news agency Reuters that the Jaffar Express, carrying over 400 passengers in nine carriages, was traveling from Quetta in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it came under gunfire. In a statement signed by BLA spokesperson Ziyand Baloch, the group said that if the Pakistani army launches any operation, the hostages will be killed. BLA fighters blew up railway tracks, forcing the train to stop, after which they boarded it. In a statement shared on social media, the BLA spokesperson said, "Any military intrusion will be met with an equally strong response. So far, six soldiers have been killed, and hundreds of passengers are in the custody of the BLA. The Baloch Liberation Army takes full responsibility for this operation." A railway official mentioned that security forces have arrived at the incident site in the Mushkaf area of Balochistan's Bolan district.
Government spokesperson Shahid Rind stated that the Balochistan government has implemented emergency measures, and all institutions have been mobilized to handle the situation. Due to the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups, there have been continuous attacks on the Pakistani government, military, and Chinese interests in the region for decades, increasing demands for a share of the mineral-rich resources. The BLA is the largest among several ethnic rebel groups fighting the Pakistani government for decades, claiming that it is unfairly exploiting Balochistan's rich gas and mineral resources. Although Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province by area, covering nearly 44% of the country's total landmass, it is the least populated province. The province is home to one of the world's largest deep-sea ports in Gwadar, which Pakistan claims is strategically important for both regional and global trade routes. Located in the southwest of Pakistan, Balochistan shares borders with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the northeast, Punjab to the east, and Sindh to the southeast. Its western border is with Iran, its northern border with Afghanistan, and its southern border is with the Arabian Sea.
