Pakistan train hijack Live: All hostages freed, 28 soldiers killed in Jaffar Express seige

All the train passengers taken hostage by militants in southwestern Pakistan have been freed, as per an AFP report. 28 soldiers were killed in the siege, the report added.

"346 hostages were freed and over 30 terrorists were killed during the operation," an army official told AFP. 

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) said that it killed 50 hostages following the hijacking of the Jaffar Express.

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif called the hijacking of the Jaffar Express a "cowardly act" which cannot sabotage the peace and order of Pakistan.

"Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the terrorist attack on the Jaffar Express. Such cowardly acts cannot sabotage the peace and order of Pakistan. My sympathies are with the families of the martyrs in this hour of grief. May Allah Almighty elevate their ranks and grant speedy recovery to the injured. Ameen," he wrote on X in Urdu.

جعفر ایکسپریس پر دہشت گردوں کے حملے میں قیمتی جانوں کے ضیاع پر شدید رنج ہے۔ ایسی بزدلانہ کاروائیاں پاکستان کے امن و امان کو سبوتاژ نہیں کر سکتیں۔ دُکھ کی اِس گھڑی میں میری ہمدردیاں شہداء کے اہل خانہ کے ساتھ ہیں۔ اللہ تعالٰی ان کے درجات بلند کرے اور زخمیوں کو جلد صحتیابی عطا…

— Nawaz Sharif (@NawazSharifMNS) March 12, 2025

According to Pakistan's security forces, all the militants present at the scene have been killed as the operation entered its final stages.

The authorities said that a large number of hostage passengers, including women and children, have been rescued. The earlier count of rescued passengers stood at 190.

During the clearance operation, utmost caution and skill were shown by the forces to save the lives of the innocent hostages.

The number of passengers who were killed by the militants is being determined by the authorities. 

However, the number of some martyred passengers who were victims of the terrorists’ brutality is being determined.

Further details are awaited.

China on Wednesday (Mar 12) condemned the hijacking of the Jaffar Express in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and expressed willingness to cooperate with Islamabad to strengthen counter-terrorism.

"We noted the reports and strongly condemn this terrorist attack,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing. She stressed that Beijing firmly opposes any form of terrorism and reaffirmed its commitment to work with Pakistan against such threats.

Around 50 armed men damaged the railway track and fired rockets at the train, which was carrying more than 400 passengers, according to a security official.

The footage, shared by the group's spokesperson on Telegram, shows the train moving through a desolate pass when an explosion hits the track just sending a thick cloud of black smoke into the air. A group of militants can be seen watching from a hillside above.

The video then cuts to a scene where people are being taken off the stationary train near a tunnel. WION has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the footage.

Over 450 passengers were on board when a separatist militant group captured the train in a remote frontier district, with an unknown number of hostages still being held.

"So far, 190 passengers have been rescued, and 30 terrorists have been killed. Due to the presence of women and children with suicide bombers, extreme caution is being exercised. The operation continues to eliminate the remaining militants," security sources told AFP.

190 hostages freed, 30 militants killed in Pakistan train hijack, security sources told AFP.

Baloch residents regularly stage protests against the state, which they accuse of rounding up innocent people in its crackdown on militancy. Security forces have been battling a decades-long insurgency in impoverished Balochistan but last year saw a surge in violence in the province compared with 2023, according to the independent Centre for Research and Security Studies. 

It found that 2024 was the deadliest year for Pakistan in a decade, with violence rising along the Afghanistan border since the Taliban government took back power in Kabul in 2021. 

Pakistan blames its neighbour for allowing militant groups safe haven to plan and launch attacks on Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies. 

The BLA claim the region's natural resources are being exploited by outsiders and has increased attacks targeting Pakistanis from other regions.

The group launched coordinated overnight attacks last year that included taking control of a major highway and shooting dead travellers from other ethnic groups, stunning the country.

Punjabi and Sindhi labourers are regularly targeted in attacks, as well as security forces and foreign infrastructure projects.

WION learned that the entire train had not been moved. As a result of the initial explosion, the train boogies got separated. 

The train had one portion for freight, two boogies called the state bank car (carries cash) and another portion for passengers. 

Three boogies from the passenger side, the entire freight side and the state bank cars have been moved to Quetta and Mach. 

While about eight passenger boogies have been pushed back towards tunnels 7 and 6. 

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said: "The beasts who fire on innocent passengers do not deserve any concessions". Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar also strongly condemned the incident.

"The heinous plans of anti-national and anti-social elements will never be allowed to be allowed," he said in a statement. "The Sindh government stands with the Balochistan government. He hoped police and other LEAs will bring this situation under control.

The militants group demanded the release of all political prisoners and Baloch activists and gave a 48-hour deadline for a prisoner exchange.

In a press release issued from the Prime Minister's Office Media Wing, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, "Despite a difficult terrain, the morale of the security forces is high and they are pushing back the coward terrorists with their timely action." 

He added that inhuman terrorists did not deserve any concession. "Terrorists are the enemies of progress and development of Balochistan province," he said.

"Targeting of innocent passengers in the holy and blessed month of Ramazanul Mubarak proves it clearly that terrorists have no relation with Islam, Pakistan and Balochistan," he added. 

Train services from Quetta to other regions of the country have been suspended, The Express Tribune reported. 

According to railway authorities, no trains will operate from Quetta today until further notice due to security concerns.

Here's what Provincial Minister Of Balochistan, Mir Zahoor Buledi, said: "It is a difficult time for the entire nation. Our security situation is not that ideal, but it also has its own factors. The government of Balochistan and its security operators are trying their best to improve the security." 

Muhammad Bilal, who had been travelling with his mother on the Jafar Express train, told the news agency AFP: "I can't find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying." 

One passenger described gunmen sorting through identity cards to confirm who was from outside of the province. What he said was quite similar to a spate of recent attacks carried out by the Baloch Liberation Army. 

"They came and checked IDs and service cards and shot two soldiers in front of me and took the other four to, I don't know where," said one passenger who asked not to be named, after walking four hours to the nearest train station.

"Those who were Punjabis were taken away by the terrorists," he added.

The assault was immediately claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group behind rising violence in the province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. Violence has been rising in this region in the past few years. 

#PakistanTrainHijack | Operation on to free remaining passengers, #PakArmy race against time for safe release of passengers

Over 100 Pakistan soldiers were on board: Reports@JyotsnaKumar13 brings you the latest with @AnasMallick pic.twitter.com/6lIhw77iiV

— WION (@WIONews) March 12, 2025

A total of 37 injured people were sent for medical assistance. 

So far, 155 passengers have been rescued from the terrorists, and 27 terrorists have been killed. 

Security forces continue operation to eliminate the remaining terrorists

Pakistan security forces have said that suicide bombers have taken women and children hostage at three different locations. 

The officials said that extreme caution is being exercised in the operation due to the presence of women and children with the suicide bombers. 

What do we know so far?

Separatist militants bombed part of a railway track and stormed the train with more than 450 passengers on board. 

The security forces were set to launch a "full-scale operation" on Wednesday to free the train passengers. 

Dozens of hostages have been freed and three people killed, including the train driver, since the attack erupted in Sibi district.

Pakistan security forces have rescued over 150 of the 463 passengers held by "terrorists" after the Jaffar Express train was attacked and taken hostage at Bolan Pass in southwest Balochistan province, a senior Pakistan security official told WION on Tuesday (Mar 11). At least 27 militants were killed.