Separatists' Armed Takeover of Train Followed by a Nightmare Ultimatum

A separatist group in Pakistan took hundreds of train passengers hostage on Tuesday, vowing to kill those it held if demands to release its members from government custody were not met.

Instead, the government replied with force, launching a clash that led to multiple hostages and separatists being killed, according to CNN.

The incident took place in Balochistan in southwestern Pakistan. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for halting the train and taking hundreds hostage.

During the Pakistan armed forces’ attack on the train, 27 hostages and one soldier were killed by the separatists. At least 35 separatists were killed.

Earlier, the group threatened to kill 214 hostages if Baloch prisoners were not freed, according to NBC.

“BLA is prepared for a prisoner exchange,” the group said, giving Pakistan 48 hours to comply.

“If our demands are not met within the stipulated period or if the occupying state attempts any military action during this time all prisoners of war will be neutralized and the train will be completely destroyed,” the group said.

The BLA claimed it killed 30 Pakistani soldiers and shot down a drone.

According to the Associated Press, the BLA attackers blew up the railroad tracks and took over the train after a gun battle with guards.

Government representative Shahid Rind called the attack “an act of terrorism.”

Officials at Pakistan Railways said the train had about 500 passengers.

One commentator said that the attack is a symptom of failing government policies toward a region where separatists are gaining strength.

The “larger point that the Pakistani state is not grasping … is that it’s not business as usual anymore,” Abdul Basit, a senior associate fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said in reaction to the incident, according to CNN.

“The insurgency has evolved both in its strategy and scale,” he said, saying Pakistan’s policy seems “to have run its course.”

“Instead of revising its counterproductive policies, it is persisting with them, resulting in recurrent security and intelligence failures,” Basit said.

In November, a BLA suicide bombing at a train station killed more than two dozen people. Two others were killed in October when the group attacked a convoy of Chinese engineers.

Basit said that the attack “has gained global attention and it will worry China, which has its investments in the province – more than any other state. A major reset of existing security paradigm is required in Balochistan.”

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.