Pakistan train hijack update: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) fighters who hijacked a Pakistani passenger train have now claimed that they had escaped along with taking 214 Pakistani army personnel as hostages. They had earlier rejected the Pakistani army’s claim that the siege had ended. According to them, once their 48-hour deadline for a deal to swap train hostages with Baloch political prisoners ended on Friday, they executed all the 214 Pakistan Army personnel.
The BLA blamed the Pakistani government’s “stubbornness” as the reason that forced their hand leading them to execute all the Pakistani military personnels they had taken as hostages.
In an official statement, BLA Spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch said that they had given Pakistani forces a 48-hour ultimatum but since they did not pay heed to it, it resulted in the death of 214 hostages.
The statement said, “Baloch Liberation Army had given the Pakistani army a 48-hour ultimatum to exchange prisoners of war, which was the last chance for the occupying army to save the lives of its personnel. However, Pakistan displaying its traditional stubbornness and military arrogance not only avoided serious negotiations but also turned a blind eye to the ground realities. As a result of this stubbornness all 214 hostages have been executed.”
They stressed that the group had always acted in accordance with international law but Pakistan’s “stubbornness” led to their Army personnel being killed. However, the group is yet to provide evidence to back their claim.
Contrarily, the Pakistani side has been working hard to downplay the incident and its ramifications. Its media had downplayed the incident, and now, Pakistan Army Spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed that their soldiers had killed 33 militants and had rescued 354 hostages. According to the BLA, they never took children, Baloch citizens, and women as hostages. They only held Pakistani army personnel as hostages, thus discrediting Pakistan Army’s claim of pulling a successful hostage rescue operation.
He added that there was no proof of any other hostages being taken by the BLA and accused the BLA of making exaggerated claims.
Chaudhary further stated that a total of 31 people, including 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack. Acting on the usual blame game tactics, the Pakistani official brazenly accused India and Afghanistan of backing the Baloch fighters, a claim that both countries have vehemently denied.
For those unversed, BLA fighters blew up a railway track on Tuesday and opened fire on the Jaffar Express train.
The militant group, which has been fighting against the illegal occupation of Balochistan by Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack on March 11. According to a statement released by the BLA, its fighters killed six Pakistani military personnel during the operation.
The hijacking occurred while the Jaffar Express was traveling from Quetta in Balochistan to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The BLA, through its spokesperson, declared that the operation was conducted by its elite Majeed Brigade Fateh Squad and STOS. The group described the attack as a “meticulously planned operation” that took place in Mashkaf, Dhadar, Bolan.
