Jaffar Express Hijacking: A Sign of Pakistan’s Weakness, Says Baloch Rights Council
London [UK], March 13: The Jaffar Express hijacking has once again put the spotlight on the rising strength of Baloch insurgents and the weakening grip of Pakistan in Balochistan, according to Baloch Human Rights Council Information Secretary Khurshid Ahmed.
“This incident proves that Pakistan is getting weaker, while Baloch freedom fighters are becoming stronger,” Ahmed stated on Thursday. He emphasized that such incidents will continue in the future as the Baloch insurgency gains momentum, particularly against Pakistan-China projects in the region.
“Even in such harsh conditions, the Baloch freedom fighters followed human rights standards and let elderly women and families return to Quetta. However, they took several Pakistani Army personnel hostage, demanding the release of forcibly disappeared Baloch people,” he added.
Ahmed further urged India and Western nations to support the Baloch national struggle, stating that the situation in Balochistan demands global intervention.
In contrast, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Sharif Chaudhry announced that the Jaffar Express clearance operation had concluded, with all 33 militants at the attack site killed.
“On March 11 in Bolan, terrorists targeted a railroad track around 1 PM, blew it up, and halted the Jaffar Express carrying 440 passengers,” Gen Chaudhry said in an interview with Dunya News.
He stated that the Pakistani Army, Air Force, Frontier Corps (FC), and Special Services Group (SSG) participated in the operation, successfully recovering the hostages.
The final clearance operation reportedly ensured no additional passenger casualties, but prior to that, 21 people had already been killed.
Pakistan’s state-run PTV News cited security officials, confirming that at least 190 passengers were freed after the train hijacking. The hostage crisis, which began on Tuesday near the Mashkaf Tunnel—157 km from Quetta, saw Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) rebels seize the train, taking more than 400 passengers hostage, including Pakistani security personnel.
Dawn News reported that at least 30 people, including the train driver and eight security personnel, were killed in gun battles between the rebels and Pakistani forces.
Meanwhile, Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has strongly criticized the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad for failing to acknowledge Pakistan’s human rights violations in Balochistan.
His comments came after the U.S. Embassy issued a statement condemning the BLA’s hijacking of Jaffar Express.
“The United States continues to endorse Pakistan’s fabricated narratives while conveniently ignoring the mass human rights violations in Balochistan,” Naseem Baloch stated, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
He accused Pakistan of carrying out extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and war crimes in the region while projecting itself as a democracy.
Balochistan crisis, Jaffar Express hijacking, Baloch Liberation Army, Pakistan Army, human rights violations, insurgency in Pakistan, forced disappearances, US foreign policy, Baloch National Movement, China-Pakistan projects
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