After nearly two days of battling militants who had hijacked an express train in Balochistan province, the Pakistani military announced on Wednesday night that all terrorists had been killed and the hostages have been freed.
On March 11, militants of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) stopped a train carrying nearly 400 passengers that was bound for Peshawar, near a series of tunnels over 100 miles from Balochistan’s capital, Quetta.
Passengers were offloaded from the train and asked to sit with suicide bombers in a move to prevent any potential military operation against the hijackers. The audacious siege dominated Pakistan’s mainstream and social media networks for two days.
According to the military’s media wing, 33 terrorists were killed during the rescue operation while four paramilitary soldiers lost their lives battling the Baloch militants. Some 21 passengers were also killed by militants during the hijacking of the train.
Speaking to a local news channel, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director Lt General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry revealed that personnel of Army, Air Force, Frontier Corps, snipers and special commandoes were deployed in the operation to rescue the passengers and end the siege.
“These terrorists were in contact with their supporters and masterminds in Afghanistan during the operation,” Sharif said.
“This incident changes rules of the game, because these terrorists have no link to Balochistan or religion,” he added.
The latest attack by Baloch militant groups is a stark reminder that extremist organizations such as BLA and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have grown more organized and capable in Pakistan in recent years. These groups appear increasingly emboldened, and seemingly more equipped to carry out more sophisticated and coordinated attacks.
Days before the attack, Baloch Raji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), a loose alliance of Baloch militant groups, announced plans to reorganize into a centralized force called the Baloch National Army.
Last year, the BLA alone carried out more than 150 militant attacks, targeting Pakistan’s security agencies, civilians, and Chinese workers. Moreover, the group’s new leadership has introduced female suicide bombers, deploying tactics used by other militant groups like Islamic State, Boko Haram, and others.
Pakistan’s military appears to be fighting a multifront war against extremism and militancy in the country. One of the most significant challenges in this regard is the use of social media platforms by militants, their sympathizers, disgruntled politicians, and extremist networks, particularly in the aftermath of attacks like the hijacking of the train.
The train attack highlights this troubling trend.
While passengers were being offloaded by the BLA militants, political leaders in Pakistan, including Balochistan, were preoccupied with hurling accusations and counter-accusations at each other. They used the crisis as an opportunity to settle personal and political scores.
In the wake of the attack, Baloch nationalist politicians like Akhtar Mengal took to social media to claim that “there is not a single inch of Balochistan left where the government can claim authority.”
“They have lost this war completely and irreversibly. It is over,” he wrote. Mengal has previously served as the provincial chief minister and recently resigned from the parliament over political differences.
Similarly, numerous accounts linked to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) were quick to circulate lists of soldiers who might have been traveling on the train, while others criticized the government’s handling of the attack in the parliament. “The founder of PTI [Imran Khan] should be released immediately [from jail] to address terrorism and economic issues,” PTI leader Shibli Faraz told reporters even as the rescue operation was underway.
The federal government, which lacks popular support, has not been effective in formulating policies or addressing propaganda surrounding Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts. Indeed, the DG ISPR had to appear on national media to counter the disinformation campaign online and on social media amid the attack.
“Interestingly, some specific political elements in Pakistan also partake in such activities enthusiastically and activate their social media [teams], and instead of standing with the state, they can be seen creating baseless justifications and reasons for this horrible terrorist act,” he said, adding that “some elements are sacrificing the national interest due to their lust for political power.”
Pakistan’s struggle against the new wave of militancy has entered a highly complex and perilous phase. Militants in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not only demonstrating their strength, but are also openly showcasing their support from across the border to undermine Pakistan’s interests.
Only time will tell how and whether Pakistan will be able to revise its policies to tackle these mounting challenges effectively.
