Baloch rebels release video of Jaffar Express hijack, counter Pak narrative
Two months after the Jaffar Express, a passenger train with 450 passengers onboard, was hijacked in Balochistan, the Baloch Liberation Army's media wing Hakkal released a detailed 35-minute video documenting its operation.The Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group seeking Balochistan's secession from Pakistan, hijacked the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express on March 11 after blowing up the railway tracks. Codenamed Darra-e-Bolan 2.0, the operation went on for two days when BLA fighters hijacked the train and held passengers hostage, sending waves of panic across Pakistan. After the operation, Pakistan claimed that the Baloch rebels faced heavy losses - a claim the video contradicts.advertisement
The video provides the first comprehensive visual account of the operation and reveals BLA fighters executing a coordinated clearance operation onboard the train. It shows the Baloch rebels planning the operation, receiving combat briefings and training before they stormed the train.Monitoring:Baloch Liberation Army media #Hakkal published video of the #JaffarExpress Hijack (Operation Darra-E-Bolan 2.0)#Balochistan pic.twitter.com/ClxM6VIOsy— Bahot | (@bahot_baluch) May 18, 2025The 30-minute video also shows how the Baloch rebels bombed the track and hijacked the train, holding over 200 Pakistani officials hostage for two days.It also includes scenes of women, children, and the elderly being safely escorted away from the hijack site, contradicting narratives from Pakistan's military that labelled the incident as indiscriminate and brutal.The video begins with a BLA fighter delivering a statement to underscore the motivations behind the attack, "Our struggle and war has come to a point where we are to take such critical decisions. Our young people are equipped to take such steps, for they are aware that except such decisions there are no other options left. A gun is needed to halt the gun. The sound that comes out of a gunshot may reach a point."advertisementHe added, "Baloch young men have taken the decision today to attack the enemy without any hesitation and care about their lives. Today if a son is leaving his father behind to sacrifice his life, so is a father leaving his son behind to sacrifice himself for the cause."The video then shows visuals of Fidayeen unit's training where a man explains the positioning for every rebel. The aim of the operation was to "Inflict the deadliest blow on the occupied Pakistani state" and "convey a clear and loud message to the occupying state that its officials would not last long in Balochistan."The group also showcased names, photographs, and farewell messages from its Fidayeen unit, the Majeed Brigade, indicating minimal casualties and asserting the strength of their operation.After the incident, the Pakistani Army said the siege ended after a 30-hour operation in which all the 33 rebels were killed. The Army claimed that 23 soldiers, three railway employees and five passengers had died in the attack. However, Balochistan Liberation Army, a separatist group seeking Balochistan's secession from Pakistan, claimed to have killed all 214 Pakistani military hostages taken in train hijack incident.
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