Pakistani authorities on Wednesday, March 12, said an insurgent attack on a train carrying hundreds of people has ended, with more than 50 attackers killed following a daylong standoff. Some of the hostages taken were also killed. Sarfraz Bugti, the Chief Minister in Balochistan province, told a provincial assembly that "we people have also been martyred, but we will share details later."
Security officials said over 300 hostages were rescued and the operation had concluded. They gave no details about the hostages killed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The separatists attacked the train carrying about 450 people Tuesday in a tunnel in a remote part of southwestern Balochistan province.
The separatist Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility. Spokesman Jeeyand Baloch had said the group was ready to free passengers if authorities agree to release jailed militants. There was no comment on that from the government, which has rejected such demands in the past. The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and has also in the past attacked civilians, including Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor .
Pakistan hosts thousands of Chinese workers building major infrastructure projects, including ports and airports in Balochistan. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said her country "will continue to firmly support Pakistan in advancing its counter-terrorism efforts."
The train was traveling from Quetta to the northern city of Peshawar when it came under attack. Officials say the Jafer Express train was partially inside a tunnel when the militants blew up the tracks, forcing the engine and nine coaches to stop. Authorities have said the rescued include women and children. An undisclosed number of security personnel were killed, according to the security officials. Rescued passengers were being sent to their hometowns, and the injured were being treated at hospitals in the Mach district. Others were taken to Quetta, the provincial capital, about 100 kilometers away.
The BLA had warned that the hostages' lives would be at risk if the government did not negotiate. Trains in Balochistan typically have security personnel on board as members of the military frequently use trains to travel from Quetta to other parts of the country. In November, The BLA carried out a suicide bombing at a train station in Quetta, killing 26 people.
Analysts said the train attack and its focus on civilians could backfire. "After failing to damage the Pakistan Army within Balochistan, BLA has shifted its targets from military to unarmed civilians. This may give them instant public and media attention, but it will weaken their support base within the civilian population, which is their ultimate objective," said Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based independent security analyst.
Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and least populated province. It’s a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.