Pakistan PM to meet survivors and commandos who ended insurgent train siege

The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the incident which began on Tuesday and ended on Wednesday.

Passengers rescued by security forces from a passenger train attacked by insurgents arrive at a railway station in Much, Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province — Rescued passengers arrived at Much railway station in Balochistan province after the incident (Anjum Naveed/AP)

Pakistan’s prime minister travelled to the restive southwestern Balochistan province on Thursday to meet survivors of a train attack and the commandos who rescued more than 300 passengers from the insurgents who killed 21 civilians and four troops.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an outlawed group behind multiple deadly attacks in recent months, claimed responsibility for the incident which began on Tuesday and ended on Wednesday when soldiers killed all 33 insurgents in an operation that the military said resulted in no further passenger deaths.

The train was heading from the Balochistan capital, Quetta, to the northern city of Peshawar when insurgents blew up the track, forcing nine coaches and the engine of the Jafer Express train to stop partially inside a tunnel.

Rescued passengers arrive arrive at Much railway station in Balochistan province — Rescued passengers arrived at Much railway station in Balochistan province on Thursday (Anjum Naveed/AP)

The BLA regularly targets Pakistani security forces and has attacked trains, but had never been able to hijack any train in the past. They have also attacked foreigners, including Chinese workers, thousands of whom are involved in multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects in Balochistan.

Oil-and-mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and least populated province. Members of the ethnic Baloch minority say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was visiting Quetta on Thursday. Authorities said arrangements were made to transport the bodies of victims to their hometowns and people who were wounded were receiving medical treatment.

Ambulances wait for the arrival of the bodies of victims from the train attack — Ambulances waited at the railway station in Much for the bodies of victims of the attack to arrive (Anjum Naveed/AP)

In an overnight statement, the military said it had “confirmed intelligence” indicating that the assault was “orchestrated and directed by terrorist ringleaders operating from Afghanistan, who were in direct communication with the terrorists throughout the incident.”

Pakistan often accuses Kabul of sheltering Pakistani Taliban and BLA, a charge the Afghan government denies.

But the military in the statement urged the Afghan Taliban government to uphold its responsibilities and deny the use of its soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan.

Rescue workers transport a coffin containing the body of a victim from a the train attack — Rescue workers transported a coffin containing the body of a victim to a waiting vehicle (Anjum Naveed/AP)

According to a military statement, the “terrorists, after blowing up the railway track, took control of the train and held the passengers hostage including women, children and elderly, using them as human shields”.

Most of the survivors said the assailants opened fire on the windows of the train, entered the cars and killed or wounded people before taking them hostage.

Three soldiers who had been guarding the railway line were also killed, according to military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif.