What happened in Pakistan?
On Tuesday afternoon, the Jaffar Express train was attacked. The train was going from Quetta to Peshawar. It was near the Bolan Pass, a mountain area when armed men stopped it. More than 400 people were on the train.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a group that wants Balochistan to be free from Pakistan, said they did it.
What did the BLA do?
The BLA broke the railway track to stop the train. Then, they started shooting. At least 10 people, including the train driver, died.
The BLA is keeping more than 300 people on the train as hostages. Many of them are security workers.
The BLA gave the Pakistani government 48 hours to release Baloch prisoners and missing people.
How did the Pakistani government respond?
The Pakistani army is trying to save the hostages. By Wednesday, they said they had killed 27 BLA fighters and rescued 155 people.
Some BLA fighters are wearing bombs and sitting next to the hostages. This makes it hard to rescue everyone safely.
What is the Baloch separatist movement?
Pakistan has four big areas called provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. Balochistan is the biggest but has the fewest people.
Baloch people started fighting the Pakistani government in 1948. Since then, there have been many fights.
Many Baloch people feel the government does not care about them. Balochistan has a lot of mineral resources which helps the Pakistan government make money, but more than 70% of Baloch people still live in poverty.
The Baloch people want more control over their land and a fair share of the money from natural gas.
In the last few years, Baloch fighters have also attacked Gwadar Port. This port is important for Pakistan and China.
What is the way forward?
Experts say that Balochistan has many problems. In 10 years, there have been six different leaders. This makes Baloch people feel the government cannot help them.
Some Baloch people do not trust the government and join violent groups instead.
The Pakistani government needs to understand the Baloch people’s problems and find a way to solve them peacefully.
Latest news on the rescue operation
Pakistani security forces have ended the rescue operation. They killed 33 BLA militants and saved 346 passengers. Sadly, 21 passengers and 4 soldiers lost their lives.
