Pakistan’s Security Forces Rescue Hostages After Deadly Jaffer Express Hijacking

An unfortunate incident took place on March 12, 2025, when militants of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express in the South Western part of Pakistan known as Balochistan. The train was being operated between Quetta and Peshawar and was captured in the district of Bolan, resulting in an aggressive confrontation between the militants and the security forces. 

The militants had taken hostage almost 450 passengers and split them based on their supporting areas, with a focus on capturing certain persons, including the active duty police. BLA put forward the condition of freeing political prisoners from Bloch in exchange for not killing the captives. 

In turn, Pakistani defenders mobilized for an extensive attempt to save them, utilizing specialized soldiers and hundreds of other men. The forces succeeded in releasing approximately 190 hostages. Sadly, the operation also resulted in loss of life from the Pakistani side, with 21 hostages and four troops killed while over 33 militants who took part in the hijacking were killed. 

He outright called for the violence, which caused panic throughout the country in his speech to the people after filing the incident on the 13th of March, who was head of public relations for the military, Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry. He warned the public that the terror attempted to provoke and break our nation, which ultimately drove them together and inspired further strength to the army and country.

He sent deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and ensured that the sacrifices made would not be in vain. Major General Chaudhary restated the assurance of the armed forces in restricting terrorism and protecting the territorial integrity of the country.

The BLA, having been declared a terrorist group by Pakistan and the US, is still fighting a violence instigated conflict to gain more autonomy and control a larger area of the region’s minerals. This case is one of the most extreme attacks in the past few years, which demonstrates the growing difficulties for the Pakistani police in Balochistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, labeling it a mindless act of terrorism. He mentioned the prompt steps taken by the security agencies and restated the position that there shall be no dialogue with the terrorists. The Prime Minister himself set out plans to provide public assistance to the affected families and promised that something more would be done to stop similar occurrences.

The survivors of the terrible experience have been taken to Quetta for medical attention and psychological support. This horrific occurrence and the brave efforts made to save lives by the security forces are reasons to grieve for the innocent deaths patriotically remembered by the government and citizens.

The event shows the ongoing violence and fights in the Balochistan region and also indicates that there must be a lot more effort to curb these activities that result in severe disturbances in the peace.