At least 155 hostages were released, and Pakistan security forces killed 27 rebels after members of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a passenger train in the restive Balochistan province on Tuesday.

The terrorists attacked the Peshawar-Quetta Jaffar Express and hurt the driver before taking the train in their captivity.

The incident occurred in the mountainous Bolan Pass area of Balochistan.

According to reports, the terrorists first detonated a bomb to destroy the railway track and then hijacked the train that was carrying over 400 passengers.

The Pakistani security forces were engaged in a severe gunfight with the terrorists overnight.

The 155 passengers who were freed from the train were shifted to Quetta under security protection.

According to security officials,  the terrorists have suffered heavy losses in this operation and split into small groups, reported Ary News.

Some injured passengers were taken to hospital.

According to security forces, the militants are accompanied by suicide bombers and using civilians as human shields, the news channel reported.

Pakistan media reports claimed the attackers are in contact with their 'facilitators' in Afghanistan.

An emergency was declared across hospitals in the Sibbi region after the attack.

BLA claimed none of their members died during the operation, and they killed 30 Pakistani soldiers.

Pakistani officials have not confirmed their claim so far.

Railways halt train service in the area

Following the attack, Pakistan Railways suspended the operation of trains from Punjab and Sindh to Balochistan and vice versa.

PR Chief Executive Officer Amir Ali Baloch told Dawn that passenger and freight trains would remain suspended until security and law enforcement agencies notified them that the area had been cleared and the law and order situation in Balochistan had normalised.

“We are in touch with the security agencies … but I cannot share what is happening on the ground at the moment,” he said.

BLA Demanding Release Of Political Prisoners

The BLA group has claimed to have killed 30 Pakistani soldiers.

The BLA has demanded the release of Baloch political prisoners and missing persons whom they said were kidnapped by the military.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned the incident.

BLA And Balochistan

Several insurgent groups, mostly by BLA, often target Pakistani government, army and Chinese interests in the region.

They claim the Pakistani government is unfairly exploiting the region's rich mineral and gas resources.

The region is home to one of the world's largest deep-sea ports in Gwadar.

It is considered crucial for the country's regional and global trade routes.

Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in terrorist attacks over the past year. In November 2024, at least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station.

Balochistan is considered to be strategically crucial since it shares international borders with Iran to the west and Afghanistan to the north.