Month after Pakistan train hijacking, survivor recalls horror of militant siege

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Updated 11 April 2025
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Month after Pakistan train hijacking, survivor recalls horror of militant siege

Month after Pakistan train hijacking, survivor recalls horror of militant siege
  • Separatists’ hijacking of train in Pakistan’s southwestern mountains last month killed 31 soldiers, staff and civilians
  • Over 300 hostages rescued after over day-long clearance operation in remote mountain pass in Balochistan province

QUETTA: On Mar. 11, as the dawn light began to cast a soft golden glow over the sky, railways employee Assad Ali finished his suhoor morning meal and left for work as his family slept at their home in Quetta, the provincial capital of Pakistan’s remote southwestern province of Balochistan. 

An examiner in the Railway Train Lighting (RTL) department for the last 18 years, Ali, 40, arrived at the washing line, an area designated at the Quetta Railway Station for the maintenance and cleaning of passenger trains. He checked and okayed the electricity supply and fan and air conditioners of the Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express and then returned home to check on his ailing parents before leaving once more for the station to board a train as it departed at 9am.

It was meant to be just another day in Ali’s life, who regularly undertook the 1,600km journey on the Jaffar Express from Quetta to Peshawar in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. But fate had other plans. Four hours into the trip, separatist militants took over the train as it crossed a remote mountain pass, blowing up the tracks and then holding passengers hostage in an over day-long standoff. There were 425 people on board, including personnel from the Pakistani army and other security forces who were traveling on leave.

“First we heard a powerful blast that hit the engine and intense gun firing started at 12:55 in the afternoon,” Ali told Arab News, identifying the location as being five kilometers from the Paneer Railway Station in an area covered with rugged mountains with no road infrastructure or mobile telephone communication. 

“The explosion happened inches away from me,” Ali, who was traveling with other railway employees in the last compartment of the Jaffar Express’s 10 carriages, recalled. “I saw one of my colleagues bleeding and dying in front of my eyes.”

Ali said around two hours after the siege began, attackers locked him and others inside a train compartment where he spent the next 28 hours “with the fear of certain death every second.”

The third among his five siblings and the father of three children, Ali spent those hours in prayer and remembrance of his family.

“We heard horrific sounds of blasts and firing sporadically during those hours,” he said. “I was reciting prayers and thinking, ‘the bullet will hit me now, the bullet will hit me now’.”

It was the 10th day of the holy month of Ramadan, Ali recalled, and he broke his fast in the train, while locked in the compartment, with some candies that he found in his pocket. The siege continued into the night and the time for the next suhoor meal arrived. He began his fast without eating anything. 

“WE HAD SURVIVED“

The hijacking was immediately claimed by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)’s Majeed Brigade, one of the most prominent ethnic Baloch separatist groups fighting for independence for Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and has been the site of a low-level insurgency for decades. 

Baloch separatist groups accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources including gas, copper and gold, benefitting the country’s eastern Punjab and southern Sindh provinces.

Pakistani governments have variously denied the allegations, saying they are injecting funds into the infrastructure and economic development of the impoverished province.
Nearly two days after the siege began, the Pakistan Army said the Special Service Group (SSG) Commandos had completed a clearance operation, killing 33 militants. The death toll was 31 soldiers, staff and civilians, the military said.

Ali was among the last group in the train rescued by Pakistani security forces on the evening of Mar. 12 and moved back to Quetta. 

“It was around 4 p.m. the next day when I heard passengers’ voices, I saw through the train window that passengers were running outside,” Ali said. “That moment gave me the sense that we had survived.”

Far away in Quetta, his family had gone through their own hell as they waited for news about the rescue operation and prayed for their son to return home alive. 

“When I saw Assad at the Quetta Railway Station, we didn’t express our feelings with our tongues but with our eyes,” Muhammad Amir Refique, Ali’s cousin, told Arab News. 

“Our minds and hearts were stuck on the assumption that Assad had been killed, but when you see that person alive, you can’t describe those feelings in words.”

One month after the siege, Ali has not been able to board a running train again though he has resumed his duties at the Quetta Railway Station. 

“I am still in that mental trauma and not able to carry out my duties in a running train,” he said. 

“People were martyred right in front of us, before our eyes, so, of course, there is fear in my heart. Now even when someone knocks on the door or someone comes from outside, in the mind it feels like the sound of a bullet.”


Indian army says Pakistan targeted three Kashmir military bases, Islamabad denies

Indian army says Pakistan targeted three Kashmir military bases, Islamabad denies
Updated 19 sec ago
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Indian army says Pakistan targeted three Kashmir military bases, Islamabad denies

Indian army says Pakistan targeted three Kashmir military bases, Islamabad denies
  • India said threat neutralized “with kinetic and non-kinetic means,” bases targeted in Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur 
  • Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar denied his country’s military had carried out strikes in Jammu on Thursday

SRINAGAR, India: Pakistan on Thursday staged fresh strikes targeting three military stations in Indian-administered Kashmir with missiles and drones but there were no losses, the Indian military said, a charge Islamabad denied.

India said “the threat was neutralized ... with kinetic and non-kinetic means,” adding that the bases targeted were in “Jammu, Pathankot and Udhampur in proximity to the international boundary.”

Blackouts were reported from a swathe of cities in Indian-administered Kashmir, including Jammu, as well as cities in the neighboring state of Punjab such as Amritsar and Jalandhar.

“We can hear loud explosions, it feels like bombs are going off everywhere,” said Varinder Jeet Singh, a senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the national ruling party, speaking about Jammu.

“There is a complete blackout.”

Jammu resident Liyakat, who only gave one name, said: “I heard many explosions and electricity was cut off.”

Shesh Paul Vaid, a former director general of police for Jammu and Kashmir, also wrote on social media that there were “loud explosions.”

A security source, who was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed the explosions.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar denied that his country’s military had carried out strikes in Jammu on Thursday.

On Wednesday, India launched missiles that it said targeted “terrorist camps,” and Pakistan retaliated by scrambling fighter jets and launching artillery fire. 

A day later, India and Pakistan accused each other of carrying out waves of drone attacks.

At least 48 deaths have been reported on both sides since the escalation, 32 of them in Pakistan including children.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Thursday he had spoken to European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas, adding: 

“India has been measured in its actions. However, any escalation will get a firm response.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged India and Pakistan to take immediate steps to de-escalate and engage in “direct dialogue,” as he pressed Islamabad to end any support for “terrorist groups.”


US secretary of state Rubio urges Islamabad and New Delhi to step back

US secretary of state Rubio urges Islamabad and New Delhi to step back
Updated 52 min 26 sec ago
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US secretary of state Rubio urges Islamabad and New Delhi to step back

US secretary of state Rubio urges Islamabad and New Delhi to step back
  • Marco Rubio holds separate phone calls with Pakistani PM and Indian external affairs minister 
  • Urges Pakistan and India to improve communications, engage in “direct dialogue” to de-escalate 

ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday held separate telephone calls with Pakistan’s premier and the external affairs minister of India and urged the two nations to engage in “direct dialogue” to de-escalate their ongoing conflict, the state department said. 

India hit Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, called Azad Kashmir, with missiles on Wednesday and Pakistan said it shot down five Indian aircraft in retaliation in their worst clash in over two decades. Pakistan said 31 civilians were killed in the Indian strikes while New Delhi says it targeted “terror camps.”

On Thursday, Pakistan said it had shot down 29 drones launched by India while New Delhi said it had “neutralized” Islamabad’s attempts to target military targets with drones and missiles.

“He expressed US support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications,” the state department said in two separate statements after Rubio spoke to Pakistani Premier Shehbaz Sharif and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. 

“The Secretary emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation.”

India is an important US partner for Washington, which aims to counter China’s rising influence, while Pakistan remains an ally, despite its diminished importance after the US withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.

Both India and Pakistan claim Muslim-majority Kashmir in full, with each controlling only part and having fought wars in the past over the region.

The latest standoff was triggered by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan, which has denied the claims and called for a neutral investigation.


Pakistan’s Chinese-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft — US officials 

Pakistan’s Chinese-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft — US officials 
Updated 08 May 2025
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Pakistan’s Chinese-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft — US officials 

Pakistan’s Chinese-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft — US officials 
  • Performance of leading Chinese fighter jet against Western rival is being closely watched in Washington 
  • Episode may offer insights into how Beijing might fare in any showdown over Taiwan or the wider Indo-Pacific

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: A top Chinese-made Pakistani fighter plane shot down at least two Indian military aircraft on Wednesday, two US officials told Reuters, marking a major milestone for Beijing’s advanced fighter jet.
The performance of a leading Chinese fighter jet against a Western rival is being closely watched in Washington for insights into how Beijing might fare in any showdown over Taiwan or the wider Indo-Pacific.
One US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was high confidence that Pakistan had used the Chinese-made J-10 aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets — bringing down at least two.
Another official said at least one Indian jet that was shot down was a French-made Rafale fighter aircraft.
Both officials said Pakistan’s F-16 aircraft, made by Lockheed Martin, were not used in the shootdown.
Delhi has not acknowledged the loss of any of its planes and instead said it carried out successful strikes against what it said was “terrorist” infrastructure inside Pakistan.
World powers from the US to Russia and China have called for calm in one of the world’s most dangerous, and most populated, nuclear flashpoint regions.
In France, Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation and the MBDA consortium, which makes the Meteor air-to-air missile, could not immediately be reached for comment on a public holiday.
While Reuters reported on Wednesday that three Indian planes went down, citing local government officials in India, this marks the first Western confirmation that Pakistan’s Chinese-made jets were used in the shootdowns.
Pakistan’s Defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, told Reuters on Thursday that the J-10 was used to shoot down three French-made Rafale planes, which were newly acquired by India. 
Pakistan says it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat. 


Indian villagers near Pakistan border call for ceasefire as shelling kills at least 13

Indian villagers near Pakistan border call for ceasefire as shelling kills at least 13
Updated 08 May 2025
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Indian villagers near Pakistan border call for ceasefire as shelling kills at least 13

Indian villagers near Pakistan border call for ceasefire as shelling kills at least 13
  • The shelling damaged several religious sites, including a temple, a Sikh shrine and a mosque
  • Statement released by India said dead include three women, five children killed in “Pakistani firing”

Poonch, Indian-administered Kashmir: Indian villagers called for a ceasefire on Thursday after at least 13 civilians were killed by what authorities said was Pakistani shelling in Poonch, along the India-Pakistan border, in Jammu and Kashmir.

The shelling damaged several religious sites, including a temple, a Sikh shrine, and a mosque.

“We appeal to the government that there should be a ceasefire as soon as possible. There should be peace and harmony,” said a villager Malkeet Singh.

A statement released by the Indian government on Thursday said 16 lives, including three women and five children, were lost “due to Pakistani firing.”

Pakistan said at least 31 of its civilians were killed and about 50 wounded in Wednesday’s strikes and in cross-border shelling across the frontier in Kashmir.

The nuclear-armed neighbors’ tit-for-tat measures began after gunmen opened fire in the Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist attraction in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, on the afternoon of April 22, killing 26 people and wounding several others before fleeing into the surrounding pine forests.

Although Pakistan’s federal government has pledged to respond to India’s strikes, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told The New York Times on Wednesday Pakistan was ready to de-escalate.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said New Delhi did not intend to escalate the situation. 

“However, if there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very, very firm response,” he said at India-Iran Joint Commission Meeting.

“Our livestock and belongings are all gone. Nothing is left. This shelling must stop, and there should be peace. For God’s sake, give us peace. We want peace for everyone,” said a resident of Uri on the Indian side of the border.


Silent streets, shuttered shops: Fear grips Kotli after India strikes in Azad Kashmir

Silent streets, shuttered shops: Fear grips Kotli after India strikes in Azad Kashmir
Updated 08 May 2025
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Silent streets, shuttered shops: Fear grips Kotli after India strikes in Azad Kashmir

Silent streets, shuttered shops: Fear grips Kotli after India strikes in Azad Kashmir
  • District official says missile strike on house and mosque killed two siblings and injured two others
  • Residents deny India’s claim of targeting ‘terrorist infrastructure,’ say civilians were the target

KOTLI, Azad Kashmir: A convoy of journalists escorted by the Pakistani military and officials traveled through the scenic but tense roads of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) this week, arriving in the afternoon in Kotli, where an Indian strike on a mosque on Wednesday early morning had killed two people.
The usually bustling city stood silent, its shops shuttered, roads empty and anxious residents watching from a distance.
Amid the most intense military flare-up between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in decades, New Delhi said it had struck nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan and AJK early Wednesday. AJK is the part of the disputed Kashmir valley administered by Pakistan while Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India.
India described Wednesday’s strikes as retaliation for an April 22 attack in its part of Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Delhi attributed that attack to Pakistan, a claim Islamabad has repeatedly denied.
Pakistani authorities said six locations were hit across the country during Indian strikes, resulting in 31 deaths and 57 injuries. The Pakistan army spokesperson said the military responded by downing five Indian aircraft.
“It [the attack] happened after 12:30 a.m. on [Wednesday], when people were asleep and were jolted awake by the sound of the blasts,” Dawood Ahmed, a local resident, told Arab News near the mosque in Kotli that was hit by Indian strikes. 
“It happened so suddenly, and people were so terrified that they rushed out of their homes with their children ... We thought a major attack had occurred and that Kotli had been surrounded.”
Ahmed said the Nakial sector on the Line of Control (LoC), the restive de facto border separating the Pakistani and Indian sides of Kashmir, was about 22 kilometers from the area.
“So, we are not used to regular firing or skirmishes,” he added. “This was something entirely new for us.”
Asked about the Indian claim that it had targeted a militant facility, Ahmed said the building was just a mosque. No one lived there and it was occupied only when the imam came to lead prayers.
Arab News could not independently verify this. 

“PLACE OF WORSHIP”

Nasir Rafiq, the area’s deputy commissioner, said a house located next to the mosque was also hit by the Indian strikes. 
“Two people, a 19-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, both siblings, were killed in the attack, and two others were injured including a woman and her son,” he told Arab News, standing in front of the destroyed house and mosque.
He said the siblings, both students, had come from the nearby Nakial town. The elder sister was attending university and the younger brother was in school.
As the media delegation remained at the site, more residents gathered, listening closely to the conversations between journalists and locals.
Dr. Mazhar Iqbal Tahir, head of a local hospital, said the blast was so massive that staff couldn’t immediately understand what had happened.
“We immediately imposed emergency [at the hospital] and called all doctors and health care professionals,” he told Arab News.
Tahir said the hospital treated the injured, but both siblings had died before they were brought in.
Umar Farooq, a local university professor, said Kotli was one of the most populated cities in AJK and far from the LoC, questioning how India could have bombed such a place.
“There is no military target here, there is no paramilitary target here, and this is the question that I am raising,” he told Arab News.
“Just take a look around,” he said, gesturing toward the mosque. “This is a place of worship. India is the signatory of the Geneva Conventions and other international humanitarian agreements. Still they have done this to us.”