The Pakistan Army announced the completion of the Jaffar Express rescue operation and all 33 Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militants were killed, and the hostages were freed.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), confirmed the operation’s success and highlighted the efforts of multiple security units.
The crisis began on March 11 when BLA militants bombed a railway track in Bolan, halting the Jaffar Express and taking over 400 passengers hostage. “The terrorists used women and children as human shields,” Lt Gen Chaudhry explained. Despite this, security forces—including the Pakistan Air Force, Special Services Group, and Frontier Corps—eliminated all attackers. Snipers neutralized suicide bombers guarding the hostages, ensuring no passengers were harmed during the final clearance.
Authorities have released aerial footage of the operation to rescue hostages from the Jaffar Express. #JaffarExpressRescueOperation #BreakingNews #jaffar_express #JaffarExpressHijacked #JaffarExpressHijack #JaffarExpress #BalochLiberationArmy #Baloch pic.twitter.com/BOAniDKolK
— Photo News (@PhotoNewsPk) March 12, 2025Casualties and Operation Highlights
Before the rescue, 21 passengers and four Frontier Corps soldiers were killed by the militants. “All 33 terrorists have been sent to hell,” the DG ISPR stated, noting that 190 hostages were freed by Tuesday evening, with more rescued on Wednesday. The operation cleared the train bogey by bogey, despite the attackers’ communication with Afghanistan-based facilitators via satellite phone.
🚨#ISPR Official Press Release
On 11 March 2025, #JaffarExpress, traveling from Quetta, #Balochistan to Peshawar was attacked by heavily armed terrorists near Sibi. The terrorists, after blowing up the railway track, took control of the train and held the passengers hostage… pic.twitter.com/dO7M0odIxa
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) March 12, 2025President Asif Ali Zardari commended the Jaffar Express rescue, expressing grief over the civilian and soldier martyrs. He vowed to eradicate terrorism in Balochistan. Similarly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the army’s professionalism, announcing a Thursday visit to assess Balochistan’s security. “This cowardly act won’t shake Pakistan’s resolve,” he said.
Read: Security Forces Rescue 155 Hostages, Eliminate 27 Terrorists in Jaffar Express Hijacking
A bomb disposal squad is now sanitizing the area, while escaped hostages are being located. The ISPR revealed the attack’s Afghan orchestration, urging the Afghan government to curb such activities. This Jaffar Express rescue has shifted the fight against terrorism, with the military promising to hunt down all perpetrators.
