It is known that there has been a lot of tension in Pakistan-occupied Balochistan for the past few days. The Pakistani government is plundering all the natural resources like gas and minerals in their region, pushing the people of their region into poverty, preventing Balochistan from developing, and demanding that Islamabad not accept their oppression and declare Balochistan as a separate country. Several groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), and Baloch Republican Army (BRA) are carrying out a series of attacks.

This matter is making the Pakistani rulers very uncomfortable.

Train hijack

It is known that a Pakistani from the Baloch region recently made comments in the country’s parliament that the situation in Balochistan is deteriorating and that Pakistan is likely to be divided into two again. In this sequence, Baloch rebels hijacked the Zafar Express, which was carrying more than 400 passengers. All the passengers on the train were taken hostage. The Baloch Liberation Army officially claimed responsibility for the hijacking on social media.

The Zafar Express, which was carrying more than 400 passengers in nine coaches, was traveling from Quetta in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province to Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when it was fired upon, railway officials said. The BLA blew up the railway tracks in the Dadar area of ​​Bolan in Balochistan and seized the Zafar Express train. The BLA gave a clear warning to the Pakistani army that all the hostages would be killed if any military operation was launched to free the hostages. It is reported that officials of the Pakistani army and Pakistani intelligence agency ISI were also traveling on this train. The rebels also reportedly killed six Pakistani soldiers and a loco pilot who were killed during the hijacking.

Who are the Baloch?

Baloch militants are an ethnic group from the Balochistan region, which is spread across Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Balochistan is the largest province in Pakistan, but it is sparsely populated and poverty is rife. The Baloch people have a unique language (Balochi), culture, and tribal traditions. Baloch people and leaders have accused Islamabad’s rulers of politically oppressing them, denying them autonomy, and saying that if they oppose anything, they are kidnapped and killed by the ISI and the Pakistani army, and that Islamabad’s rulers are treating the Baloch people unfairly.

Baloch insurgency

Several Baloch nationalist and separatist groups, such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have been fighting for greater autonomy or independence from Pakistan since the early 2000s. These groups are often described as Pakistani terrorist organizations. However, they consider themselves freedom fighters. Baloch rebels currently carry out attacks on infrastructure, security forces, and foreign projects in Pakistan. Baloch rebels have also carried out attacks on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor – CPEC.

Train hijacking in our country too

However, after the train hijacking in Pakistan, many are wondering if they will actually hijack a train. In fact, similar incidents have happened in India too. Many train hijackings have taken place in our country in the past.

In August 1984, Khalistani terrorists hijacked a train in Punjab. In this incident, the terrorists took the passengers hostage and negotiated with the government. The hijacking continued for several days, and finally the Indian security forces intervened and freed the hostages.

In 2009, armed Maoists hijacked the Bhubaneswar-Rajdhani Express train. Around 300 to 400 Maoists hijacked the entire train at Jangalmahal. Hundreds of passengers and several railway employees were also taken hostage. After much effort, 20 policemen and around 150 CRPF personnel freed the train from the clutches of the hijackers. The train driver and passengers escaped completely unharmed in this incident.

In 2013, there was also a train hijacking incident in India. On 6 February 2013, the Jan Shatabdi train was hijacked for about 13 km between Sirsa Gate and Kumbari on the Mumbai-Howrah main railway line. Six convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment in this case. The entire case is related to the Jaichand kidnapping case. In 2001, businessman Jayachand Vaidya was kidnapped and held captive for 44 days. The police have identified Upendra Singh alias Kabra as the main accused in this incident. After that, Upendra Singh escaped by breaking out of jail. He later committed this hijacking in 2013.