Deadly train siege in Pakistan enters 2nd day

New Delhi, Mar 12: Passengers who were freed from a train seized by armed militants have described “doomsday scenes” that unfolded on board the Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, BBC reported.

The incident occurred on Tuesday when the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) launched an attack on the train, which was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar with over 400 passengers aboard.

“We held our breath throughout the firing, not knowing what would happen next,” Ishaq Noor, a survivor, told the BBC. Noor, who was on board with his wife and two children, recalled the initial explosion that was “so intense” one of his children fell from the seat. “If a bullet comes our way, it will hit us and not the children,” he said.

The attack resulted in multiple injuries, including the train driver, and sparked a major rescue operation. Military sources report that 155 passengers have been freed and 27 militants killed, though efforts to rescue the remaining hostages continue. Hundreds of troops have been deployed alongside helicopters and special forces personnel.

The BLA has warned of “severe consequences” if further rescue attempts are made. Reports suggest that some militants may have fled the train, taking an unknown number of passengers with them into the mountainous terrain. Among the train’s passengers were at least 100 security personnel, according to officials.

Freed passengers have shared harrowing accounts of their ordeal. Muhammad Ashraf, who was traveling to Lahore to visit family, described the situation as “a scene of doomsday,” as reported by BBC. After disembarking, he and a group of passengers walked for nearly four hours to the nearest railway station, some carrying weaker passengers on their shoulders. “We reached the station with great difficulty, because we were tired and there were children and women with us,” Ashraf recounted.

Mushtaq Muhammad, a passenger in the third carriage, recalled the attackers communicating in Balochi and targeting security personnel in particular. “Their leader repeatedly told them to ‘keep an eye’ on the security personnel to make sure [the attackers] did not lose them,” Mushtaq said as reported by BBC. On Wednesday, the BBC reported seeing dozens of wooden coffins being loaded at Quetta railway station. A railway official clarified that the coffins were empty and intended to collect potential casualties.

The BLA has a long history of violent insurgency, often targeting security infrastructure in its campaign for independence. Pakistani authorities, alongside several Western nations including the UK and US, have designated the BLA a terrorist organization. The group’s actions have drawn international condemnation, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemning the attack and calling for the immediate release of the remaining hostages.