The Pakistani train hijacking was caused by the history of the Baloch conflict as well as a recent spate of attacks

A train on its way from Quetta to Peshawar was fired upon and then taken over by Balochistani Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists on Tuesday, March 11. The Jaffar Express was assaulted as it passed through the Bolan district of Balochistan, a violent province in southwest Pakistan.

In a statement, the BLA claimed responsibility for the attack. The article claims that their terrorists killed 20 Pakistani military officers and took 182 hostages when they shot down a drone. Notable for its vast extent, this episode is the latest in a series of recent strikes across the country spearheaded by the BLA or Baloch insurgents.

The Jaffar Express connects Peshawar in the north with Quetta, the city of Balochistan. Muhammad Kashif, the Controller of Railways, told the Associated Press that the train contained about 500 passengers and nine carriages. In Tunnel No. 8, armed men stopped the train. Contact with the passengers and staff is being attempted," he stated. The government of Balochistan has mandated the implementation of emergency measures.

Despite the train's 2017 launch, security concerns along its route have occasionally caused delays. According to the nation's Dawn newspaper, Pakistan Railways announced in October 2024 that train services between Quetta and Peshawar will return after a one-and-a-half-month halt. This was prompted by BLA-planned bombings in August that devastated critical infrastructure, including a railway bridge in Balochistan.

Sixty-two persons were killed in an explosion at the Quetta railway station in early November. The next month, Jaffar Express operations were again suspended due to security concerns. In the early 2000s, the BLA was established with the aim of achieving Baloch independence. The group was outlawed in Pakistan in 2006, and the US designated it a worldwide terrorist organization in 2019.

In their statement, the BLA claimed that Majeed Brigade, a "fidayeen" or death squad organization, was responsible for the Jaffar Express hijacking. Since 2011, this unit has been involved in a number of attacks, including the March 2024 targeting of a complex near the port of Gwadar in Balochistan, which resulted in the deaths of several militants and security personnel.

Some have also questioned the terms of the province's admittance to the State of Pakistan following its independence from colonial rule. One of the most It has substantial oil and gas reserves in addition to gold and copper resources.significant local tribal leaders at the time was the Khan of Kalat. In addition to Kalat, he ruled over three feudatories: Makran, Las Bela, and Kharan. His goal was to ensure them independence.

Balochistan was able to keep its independence until March 1948 thanks to a friendship agreement with Pakistan, but the Khan of Kalat afterward faced significant political pressure. First, the British were worried that Russia would increase its geopolitical power if it continued to be independent. The annexation of Makran, Las Bela, and Kharan by Pakistan was also demanded. He signed the accession document as a result.

Baloch terrorists have recently focused on China's assistance to Pakistan in the creation of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) due to the terms of the province's admittance into the State of Pakistan following its independence from colonial rule. In October 2024, two Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide bombing that the BLA claimed responsibility for.

Lack of faith in the prospective advantages of these significant infrastructure initiatives for the local Baloch people has been blamed for these attacks. It also sends a message to Pakistani officials to attack Chinese workers, one of the state's only trustworthy foreign allies