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Between 11 and 12 March, Pakistani military forces conducted several operations on the hijacked train, successfully rescuing 346 hostages and eliminating all 33 BLA insurgents involved. [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Shehbaz Sharif]] denounced the assault as "cowardly acts," extended condolences to the families of the victims, and remarked after the crisis was resolved that the BLA members "have been sent to hell." The BLA's attack on civilians drew widespread condemnation from numerous global leaders, who expressed solidarity with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism. In the aftermath of the incident, Pakistan Railways announced measures to bolster security by increasing patrols across the country's railway systems and enhancing inspections of passengers and transport vehicles to avert similar incidents in the future. | Between 11 and 12 March, Pakistani military forces conducted several operations on the hijacked train, successfully rescuing 346 hostages and eliminating all 33 BLA insurgents involved. [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Shehbaz Sharif]] denounced the assault as "cowardly acts," extended condolences to the families of the victims, and remarked after the crisis was resolved that the BLA members "have been sent to hell." The BLA's attack on civilians drew widespread condemnation from numerous global leaders, who expressed solidarity with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism. In the aftermath of the incident, Pakistan Railways announced measures to bolster security by increasing patrols across the country's railway systems and enhancing inspections of passengers and transport vehicles to avert similar incidents in the future. | ||
== Background == | |||
Since the creation of Pakistan, the province of [[Balochistan]] has experienced insurgencies and conflicts led by Baloch separatists and Islamic militant groups opposing the government of Pakistan.<ref name="o901">{{cite journal |last=Akhtar |first=Aasim Sajjad |title=Balochistan versus Pakistan |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |publisher=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=42 |issue=45/46 |year=2007 |issn=00129976 |jstor=40276835 |pages=73–79 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40276835 |access-date=11 March 2025 |archive-date=26 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426234802/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40276835 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="c630">{{cite journal |last=Kirmani |first=Nida |title=Resisting erasure: tweeting against enforced disappearances in Balochistan |journal=Dialectical Anthropology |volume=48 |issue=1 |date=2024 |issn=0304-4092 |doi=10.1007/s10624-024-09713-3 |pages=21–37}}</ref> Since 2001, various armed groups in Balochistan have carried out violent campaigns aimed at obstructing significant development projects, believing that such initiatives would primarily benefit other provinces.<ref>{{cite web |title=Baloch separatists attack traders |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8169961.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=11 March 2025 |date=27 July 2009 |archive-date=17 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517093448/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8169961.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is an [[Ethnic nationalism| ethnonationalist]] group established in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Balochistan Liberation Army |url=https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/balochistan-liberation-army |website=Mapping Militants |access-date=11 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207120159/https://mappingmilitants.org/profiles/balochistan-liberation-army |archive-date=7 December 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> Members of this organisation claim their goal is to attain regional independence from Pakistan and gain control over the area's natural resources, particularly oil and minerals. The BLA has previously targeted civilians and, more frequently, Pakistani security forces.<ref name="insurgents">{{cite web|last1=Sattar|first1=Abdul|last2=Ahmed|first2=Munir |date=12 March 2025|title=Pakistan's army says insurgents who attacked a passenger train killed 21 hostages while others freed|work=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-balochistan-train-attack-militants-hostages-53d0eb29fecaa323800ac2db42ddb46c |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312165207/https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-balochistan-train-attack-militants-hostages-53d0eb29fecaa323800ac2db42ddb46c |archive-date=12 March 2025|access-date=12 March 2025}}</ref> It has been officially banned in Pakistan since 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title=List of banned organisations in Pakistan |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/456294/list-of-banned-organisations-in-pakistan |website=The Express Tribune |access-date=11 March 2025 |date=24 October 2012 |archive-date=5 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200405002521/https://tribune.com.pk/story/456294/list-of-banned-organisations-in-pakistan/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Following its ban, the group has perpetrated numerous attacks resulting in significant casualties; the most recent incident before the 2025 train hijacking was a suicide bombing at Quetta railway station in November 2024, which claimed 32 lives.<ref name="hostages">{{cite web|date=12 March 2025|title=Pakistan says more than 300 hostages rescued from hijacked train|work=Al Jazeera|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/12/pakistan-says-more-than-300-hostages-rescued-from-hijacked-train|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250312204056/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/12/pakistan-says-more-than-300-hostages-rescued-from-hijacked-train|archive-date=12 March 2025|access-date=12 March 2025}}</ref> | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||