Pakistani security forces have freed at least 155 passengers on a train in the southwestern province of Balochistan, Pakistani media reported on Wednesday.
About 450 passengers in total were on the train. They were taken hostage by militants of the separatist group Balochistan Liberation Army. So far, Pakistani security forces have eliminated 27 militants.
The media also reported that the rescue operation is not yet complete. A train with humanitarian aid has been sent to the scene. Some of the rescued hostages are hospitalised. About ten hostages were killed by the militants.
On Tuesday, a Jaffer Express passenger train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar was hijacked by terrorists in a gorge before entering a tunnel, holding hostage all the passengers, railway staff and security personnel on board. Gunfire was heard at the time of the train hijacking.
In the evening of the same day, some passengers managed to get off the train and walk to the nearest station. The exact number of hostages taken, those who escaped, those who died and those who still remain in the hands of the terrorists is unknown.
The militants had promised to kill the hostages if Pakistani troops launched an operation against the Balochistan Liberation Army, but offered talks to negotiate a prisoner swap.
Pakistani media called the entire train hijacking unprecedented.
Balochistan is one of Pakistan’s largest and poorest provinces. Separatist groups of the Baloch, a divided people of the Iranian group, have been active there for decades. In 2000, the Balochistan Liberation Army was established. It is recognised as a terrorist group in Pakistan, the US, the UK, the EU and China for the attacks it has carried out.
