Quetta Crisis: PM Visits After BLA Train Hijacking Neutralized

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visits Quetta to assess the security situation post-Jaffar Express hijacking. Security forces, including the Pakistan Air Force and Special Services Group, neutralized 33 BLA rebels. Twenty-one passengers and four soldiers died, but hostages were freed. Wounded were treated in Quetta hospitals. Investigations continue.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to visit Quetta following a high-stakes hijacking incident involving the Jaffar Express, which escalated into a deadly standoff with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Security forces successfully brought the crisis under control after eliminating 33 BLA insurgents who had seized over 400 passengers on the train.

The two-day operation to retake control of the train involved collaboration between specialized units such as the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Special Services Group (SSG), Army, and Frontier Corps (FC). According to a statement from the army's spokesperson, the rebels communicated with their handlers in Afghanistan through satellite phones, a claim reported by Geo News citing Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

Tragically, 21 passengers were killed prior to the military's intervention, and four Frontier Corps personnel also lost their lives. However, the swift action by security forces ensured the rescue of the remaining hostages. With this successful operation concluded, military officials have vowed to apprehend and deliver justice to those responsible. Emergency medical services have been racing to treat the 29 wounded, who have been taken to hospitals in Quetta, including the Combined Military Hospital and Civil Hospital.

(With inputs from agencies.)