Islamabad, Mar 12 (EFE).- Survivors of the Jaffar Express hijacking in Pakistan described a harrowing ordeal on Wednesday, with separatist insurgents executing soldiers in front of engers before taking hundreds hostage.
Gunmen stormed a packed train in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Tuesday, unleashing a brutal assault of explosions, gunfire, and abductions as security forces launched an intense rescue operation.
As security forces launched a rescue operation, the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) issued a chilling ultimatum, demanding prisoner releases or vowing to execute captives by the hour.
“Around 1:30 PM (8:30 GMT), there was an explosion, and then shooting began. I saw four or five attackers. They also had vehicles,” said Muhammad Zulfiqar, one of the rescued engers of the train hijacked by Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) fighters in southwest Pakistan.
Another enger, speaking anonymously, described how insurgents checked engers’ identities and service cards before allowing them to leave, seemingly targeting security personnel.
“They shot two soldiers in front of me and took four others,” recalled another traveler.
The attack occurred near a tunnel, about 90 kilometers from Machh station, in a remote part of Balochistan province, an area with little communication coverage.
The train was on a 30-hour journey between Quetta, Balochistan’s capital, and Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Security sources told EFE that insurgents, positioned on a nearby mountain, opened fire after the explosion and kidnapped over 400 engers, including more than 100 security personnel.
The BLA, a separatist group active in the region, claimed responsibility for the assault. Balochistan, rich in natural resources, has long been the site of an insurgency accusing the government of resource exploitation without benefiting local communities.
Military sources confirmed the rescue of 190 engers, while efforts continue to free the remaining hostages. “The site of the hijacking is now under security forces’ control,” officials said.
The BLA has issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the release of “Baluchi political prisoners, the disappeared, and national resistance activists.”
They threatened to execute five hostages per hour if the military intervened or their demands remained unmet.
There is no official toll of the dead or injured. However, military sources say at least 27 insurgents have been killed, while the BLA claims 30 soldiers were executed.
As a precaution, a relief train from Quetta has been dispatched with emergency supplies, including 194 empty coffins.
“We have no confirmed information on casualties, but the coffins have been sent in case they are needed,” a police official from Quetta station told EFE.
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