The train hijacked by the Baloch rebels. Photo courtesy: X
Twenty-six hostages were killed as Pakistan’s military launched a rescue operation on 12 March 2025 after fighters of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked a passenger train carrying over 400 people in the southwestern region of the country.
Separatist fighters of the BLA had halted the train carrying more than 400 passengers around 100 miles out of the Balochistan province the previous day as it headed towards its destination, Peshwar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The intention is believed to be to trade passenger hostages, thought to include Pakistani security personnel, for imprisoned fighters.
The standoff between the BLA and Pakistan’s military saw 26 hostages killed, among them 5 civilians, and 4 paramilitary officers. Authorities said 33 attackers were killed. This comes shortly after the BLA’s last major attack on the train in November which involved a suicide bomber detonating himself at the Quetta railway station. It was reported that at least 30 people had died on the scene.
The hijacking stems from bitter relations between the Pakistani state and the Balochistan province – an impoverished region of the country that has been seeking secession ever since its annexation in 1948. Out of Pakistan’s 240 million people, 15 million live in the Balochistan province (according to the 2023 census) which makes up 3.6% of the country’s population. Baloch people also make up small parts of Iran and Afghanistan where they number approximately 2% of the population across both nations.
The province sits before one of Pakistan’s major deep-sea ports which links southwestern China to the Arabian sea – a $62bn trade corridor termed as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC). Despite also being rich in natural resources such as coal, gold, copper and gas, Balochistan is victim to high levels of poverty, in fact, according to most estimates, it is the poorest of all the regions in Pakistan.
Its alleged marginalisation and economic exploitation have loudened calls for separation with a number of armed separatist groups from the BLA to the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) leading the political demand.
Speaking to the Financial Times, professor of human rights and politics at the London School of Economics, Mahvish Ahmad drew attention to the “many young Baloch [that] are naturally ‘going into the mountains’ to join the insurgency”. However, these effects are seen throughout the hierarchy as Malik Siraj Akbar, an expert on the Baloch separatist movement, tells Al Jazeera, “its [BLA] leadership has shifted to educated Balcoh figures, many of whom were once part of the non-violent Baloch Students Organisation (BSO)”. Once under the influence of the Marri tribe, insurgent organisations such as the BLA are now increasingly showcasing their increased capacity on all fronts as their demographics change.
Akbar continues to tell Al Jazeera about the ease with which the BLA enlist “young educated fighters… with highly educated backgrounds such as professional IT experts, data analysts and other professionals”. The improved recruitment drives come amid growing discontent from the Baloch youth who see armed struggle as the only viable response to the denial of political and economic sovereignty of their land.
China has been the most prominent international actor forthcoming in its ambitions to invest in the region. Despite already having floated billions of dollars into extending its Belt and Road Initiative through Balochistan by developing its deep-water port and copper mine, many locals still see foreign-direct investment as a colonial footprint from the past. Fears of exploitation fuelled protests last July against the development of the port-city Gwadar which resulted in the Pakistani state intervening by blocking major roads, arresting dozens of activists and disabling internet-access regionwide for five days.
However, support for the BLA remains steady amongst a disenchanted public who aren’t convinced of the provincial government’s loyalty to the Baloch people. The group has also had its influence expanded with the help of what Akbar notes as support from “a well-funded backer”. The Pakistani government has long been suspicious of India and Afghanistan but both deny such allegations. Whilst the sources are ambivalent, some experts reckon the BLA draws financial support as a result of remittances from the Gulf, income from its coal mines in Balochistan and illicit activity involving drug trafficking and kidnapping people for ransom. The province also shares a border with Afghanistan which some argue is the source of its high-end weaponry especially after the U.S withdrew completely in 2021.
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