Pakistan army kills 30 militants as hundreds held on train

Kamran Haider, Bloomberg News on Mar 12, 2025

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Pakistani security forces killed at least 30 people in an exchange of gunfire with insurgents who have been holding a train since Tuesday in southwestern Balochistan province thought to have hundreds aboard.

More than 190 people have been rescued so far, according to security officials familiar with the matter, who spoke Wednesday on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. The train left Quetta for Peshawar with about 450 passengers aboard, Ishtiaq Soomro, deputy in-charge at the railway police control room in Quetta, said by phone.

Authorities traded fire with the militants during rescue efforts, the officials said, adding that 17 people were injured. The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said killed 20 soldiers, according to Pakistani media. Security forces are finding it difficult since militants are wearing suicide vests and standing close to the passengers, said the officials.

Militants from separatist groups like BLA have been attacking security forces in the mineral-rich Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan, for decades but they have increased in the past few years.

Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies, said seizing a passenger train appears to be a new strategy for the BLA, which has also previously hit infrastructure.

“This is a tactic to terrorize both common people and security apparatus,” Gul said. “They have scaled the ladder.”

The attack comes as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tries to rebuild an anemic economy and lure investment, while struggling to control violence from militants.

China, which has built major infrastructure and energy plants in Pakistan, last year urged Islamabad to provide a safe environment for its projects after militants targeted a convoy of Chinese workers at the Port Qasim Electric Power Co., near Karachi’s airport. Two Chinese nationals died in the incident.

China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning strongly condemned the latest attack when speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

“China firmly opposes terrorism in any form,” Mao said. “We will continue to firmly support Pakistan in combating terrorism, maintaining solidarity and social stability, and protecting the safety of civilians.”

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With assistance from Allen Wan.