Tue Mar 11 11:52:34 UTC 2025: ## Hundreds Hostage in Balochistan Train Attack
**QUETTA, Pakistan – March 11, 2025** – Armed militants have taken over 450 passengers hostage on a train traveling from Quetta to Peshawar in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, which left the train driver wounded and the train stranded in a deserted area.
The attack occurred Tuesday in Bolan district. While initial reports from police suggested around 35 hostages, government officials now estimate hundreds are being held captive. A provincial government spokesperson confirmed that reinforcements are en route and that an emergency has been declared at Sibi hospital. Ambulances and security forces are heading to the scene.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators “beasts” who deserve no leniency. The BLA issued a warning, threatening to execute the hostages should the government attempt a military operation.
This incident is the latest in a series of attacks by the BLA in Balochistan, a region plagued by years of insurgency. The year 2024 witnessed over 1,600 deaths in attacks across Pakistan, marking the deadliest year in nearly a decade, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies. Previous BLA attacks have targeted railway lines and transportation, including a bombing at Quetta’s main railway station last November which killed 26 people. The current situation remains unclear, with the fate of the hundreds of hostages uncertain.
First Piper 