What is Baloch Liberation Army? Restive terror outfit behind attack on Pakistan train carrying 400 passengers wants THIS

A passenger train, Jaffar Express, was hijacked in a tunnel in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Tuesday, injuring the train driver and having hundreds of passengers as hostages.

Jaffar Express was carrying around 400 passengers when the attack happened. Hours later, 104 passengers were rescued by security forces and 16 Baloch militants were killed.

The train was going from Quetta to Peshawar when the armed men intercepted it in a tunnel near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri on Tuesday.

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), or Baloch Liberation Army, later claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, BLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said the group was ready to free passengers if the government agreed to release the group's jailed militants. Government officials weren't immediately available to discuss the offer, but authorities have rejected such offers in the past.

What is the Baloch Liberation Army?

The Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, is an ethnonationalist militant group operating from the southern regions of Pakistan. It perpetrates attacks in neighbouring Balochistan province.

Pakistan and the United States have designated the BLA as a terrorist organisation.

The BLA has accused Pakistan of a forceful takeover of oil and mineral-rich Balochistan. The province is the largest one in the country. It is also Pakistan's least populated provice.

The militant group has been making attacks against the Pakistani government for decades, accusing it of exploiting the region.

Pakistani authorities and analysts estimate that the BLA has around 3,000 fighters. BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces, but has also attacked civilians as well as Chinese nationals working on multibillion-dollar projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC.

Why do they want a separate country?

The BLA has accused Pakistan of forcefully occupying Balochistan by forcefully making their former king Khan of Kalat sign documents of accession in March 1948. It has since its inception in the early 2000s.

The militants also accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting the region's natural resources, while the Baloch minority suffer in poverty.

The group has been involved in a long-standing insurgency against Pakistan, demanding a separate nation for Balochistan.

Jaffar Express attack

While some terrorists were killed and passengers were rescued from the Jaffar Express, other militants are believed to have taken some passengers into the mountains with the security forces pursuing them in the dark.

A Reuters report said that the group claimed it killed 20 soldiers and shot down a drone.

Pakistani officials did not confirm that security forces were captured. Trains in Balochistan typically have security personnel on board.

“In the gun battle, which is still going on, 16 militants have been killed and many others injured," PTI reported quoting a source who added that the operation will continue till all passengers are rescued.

The passengers rescued, including 58 men, 31 women and 15 children, have been sent to Mach (a town in Kachhi district in Balochistan province of Pakistan) by another train, as per the PTI report.

(With inputs from agencies)