Thu Mar 13 11:32:50 UTC 2025: ## Pakistan Security Forces Kill Militants After Train Hijacking; 25 Dead
**KARACHI, PAKISTAN —** A two-day standoff ended Thursday with the deaths of 33 Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants who hijacked the Jaffar Express passenger train on Tuesday. The attack, which occurred near Gudalar and Piru Kunri in Balochistan province, resulted in the deaths of 25 civilians and soldiers.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Balochistan to review the situation and express solidarity with the victims’ families. The operation to free the hostages involved the Pakistan Air Force, Special Services Group, Army, and Frontier Corps. Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that all militants were killed, and that the security forces thwarted a potential far greater loss of life. He vowed that those responsible for such acts would be brought to justice.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for politicizing the incident and condemned the previous government’s decision to relocate Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters. He praised the security forces’ success and called for national unity. The bodies of the victims are being returned to their hometowns.
First Piper 