In the depths of central Pakistan’s Bolan Pass, a remote wilderness with no internet or mobile network coverage, the nine-coach Jaffar Express camaaae to a sudden halt.
Abruptly, bullets began flying.
About 440 passengers, traveling from Quetta to Pe-shawar through the heart of restive Balochistan, were attacked by a group of armed militants.
They bombed the tracks, opened fire on the train and stormed the carriag-es.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) quickly claimed responsibility for the siege and threatened to kill many of those on board unless Pakistani authorities re-leased Baloch political prisoners within 48 hours.
The group, which many countries have designated a terrorist organization, has waged a decades-long insurgency to gain independence for Balochistan, accusing Islamabad of exploiting the province’s rich mineral resources while also neglecting it.
The BLA militants have a long history of attacking military camps, railway stations and trains in the region.
But this was the first time they had hijacked the train.
Pakistan army got 300 hostages freed from train on 12 March 2025.
Passengers faced ‘doomsday scenes’ on the hijacked train.
The siege lasted over 30 hours.
As many as 300 passengers were freed and 33 BLA militants, 21 civilian hos-tages, and four military personnel were killed.
Many passengers held their breath throughout the gunfire, not knowing what would happen next.
The train was not in a tunnel but in an open area when it was struck.
The BLA also released an alleged video of the moment the train was struck by the blast.
It shows an open section of track running along the base of a large rocky slope.
Atop that slope was a cluster of BLA fighters.
The BLA militants moved in front of the train passengers on the mountain and they outnumbered the official security guards on the train, in the hundreds.
The terrorists came down from the surrounding mountains and started taking pas-sengers off the train.
They started checking cards and telling people to go this way.
The hostages were separated into groups alongside the train, according to their eth-nicity.
The militants were speaking in the Balochi language.
The terrorists made de-mands to the government and if their demands are not met, they will not spare any-one.
They threatened that they will set the train on fire.
The terrorists were receiving orders to kill, picking up people from the group.
They killed many people – both army personnel and civilians.
Some passengers, however, were allowed to leave unharmed – including women, children, the elderly and those who lived in Balochistan.
When the initial volleys of gunfire stopped after an hour, armed men forced open the door to the train and entered, saying get out or they will shoot them.
The passengers were escorted off the train.
The terrorists ordered them to move straight ahead and not look back.
At the mercy of the terrorists, the passengers had to walk through the wilderness.
As night descended over the Jaffar Express, scores of BLA militants began to depart.
Ironically, the worst level of violence erupted in the province.
Some passengers tried to run away to save their lives, but the BLA terrorists opened fire upon seeing them.
One man, who had five daughters, was shot dead.
The incident caused trauma among the passengers and the nation remains in a state of shock.
It was during morning prayer that rescuers from the FC started firing on the BLA militants.
Amid the sudden chaos, others managed to break free.
Military and paramilitary troops, along with helicopters, surrounded the stranded train and successfully carried out the rescue mission.
Pakistanis have praised the efforts of the armed forces in the rescue.
The sacrifices of the personnel who gave their lives in the rescue operations to save innocent compatriots can never be forgotten.
The government must immediately provide financial compensation to those killed and injured in the Bolan train incident.
Any delay in paying compensation will be unjustified.
To address terrorism in Balochistan and KP and ensure a safer future for the country, the timely completion of CPEC projects should be prioritized so that Balochistan can benefit from them first.
Under CPEC, the services of local experts and workers should be prioritized for projects in Balochistan.
A prosperous Balochistan is key to a prosperous Pakistan.
Establishing peace and order in the country is the primary responsibility of the government.
All political parties and politicians must unite to brighten the future of Balochistan.
The government needs to change its strategy concerning the law and order situation in Balochistan and KP.
India’s patronage of terrorism to halt CPEC development work in Pakistan must be addressed.
To bring peace to the country, the Shehbaz government must neutralize the India-Afghanistan nexus.
Enough is enough.
For the safer future of the nation, the rules of the game must change now.
—The writer is author of several books based in UK. (naveedamankhan@hotmail. com)
