Two months after the hijacking of the Jaffar Express, a train carrying 450 passengers in Balochistan, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has released a 35-minute video related to the attack. This is the first comprehensive account of the operation, which refutes Pakistan’s claims that they inflicted serious damage on the BLA and also shows the BLA’s control during the attack.
The operation was codenamed Darra-e-Bolan 2.0. The video shows how the BLA attacked and blew up tracks and hijacked the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express on March 11. The video shows Baloch rebels planning the operation, receiving briefings and training before the attack. More than 200 Pakistani officials were held hostage for two days after the train hijacking.
The footage also shows BLA fighters carrying out an evacuation operation on the train. Significantly, it shows women, children and the elderly being safely evacuated from the abduction site, contrary to statements by the Pakistan Army, which described the incident as extremely brutal
The Pakistani army claimed that all 33 insurgents were killed during the 30-hour operation, while 23 soldiers, three railway workers and five passengers also died. However, the Balochistan Liberation Army claimed to have killed all 214 Pakistani military hostages captured during the hijacking.