Balochistan: Pakistan Jaffar Express hijack incident has taken a new turn as the Baloch Liberation Army has put forward its demand for the hostages’ release.
Yesterday, BLA after blasting a railway track opened fire on Jaffar Express and held almost 450 train passengers as hostages including women and children.
“If anyone tried to rescue hostages they would have to face severe consequences,” BLA warned.
What are BLA demands?
BLA’s demand is to separate Balochistan from Pakistan as they assert that the Pakistan state has launched several attacks on Baloch residents.
The people of Balochistan also claimed that they have been targets of ethnic cleansing and forced disappearances.
The separatist movement handlers earlier also launched multiple attacks on infrastructure and Chinese working in the region claiming that foreigners are profiting from their land.
Rescue Operation:
Earlier, Security troops reported that they had launched a large operation in the Dhadar area of Pakistan Jaffar Express hijack Pass to rescue the captives, killing at least 16 of the attackers, despite the area’s remoteness.
Officials said that at least 10 persons, including the locomotive driver, had died in the attack, while the exact number of casualties was not confirmed.
Security forces claimed to have saved over 100 passengers — which included women and children — from the attackers, who had taken the hostages into the dangerous mountains of the Bolan range.
It was not immediately clear whether these people had been freed as the result of kinetic military action or were among those allegedly freed by the armed assailants.
An operation to recover the rest of the abducted passengers and bring the attackers to justice continued in the area around the Mushkaf Tunnel.
Since terrorists had never before tried to attack or capture a whole train and its passengers, the hijacking represents a first of its kind.
The Baloch Liberation Army: What is it?
Several countries, including the United States, have classified the BLA as a terrorist organization. The BLA wants to illegally confiscate Balochistan, a resource-rich province bordering Iran and Afghanistan. it is the biggest of numerous ethnic insurgent groups that have been engaged in decades-long conflict.
Major mining operations, such as Reko Diq, one of the biggest gold and copper mines in the world, run by mining behemoth Barrick Gold, are located in the province. In addition to managing copper and gold mining projects in the province, China is a major contributor to Pakistan’s infrastructural development.
Targeting foreign interests and important infrastructure;
Although the BLA has historically targeted infrastructure and security installations in Balochistan, it has also expanded its operations to neighboring regions. Last year, the extremist group in Karachi assaulted a truck from the Port Qasim Electric Power Company close to the airport. Many violent clashes have resulted from the BLA’s animosity of Chinese interests, especially the Gwadar Port and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In past assaults, BLA militants have invaded Beijing’s consulate in Karachi and assassinated Chinese people employed in the area.
