Pakistan Train Hijack: First the bomber was blown up, then… How did the Pakistani army rescue 400 hostages from the clutches of Baloch rebels?
The Pakistani Army and the Balochistan Liberation Army have their own claims on the train hijack in Pakistan. The Pakistani Army says that it killed all 33 terrorists who hijackered the train and successfully rescued the hostages. Whereas the Balochistan Liberation Army claims that 154 hostages are still in its custody. Meanwhile, the biggest question is how did the Pakistani Army carry out this operation?
Pakistan Army spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif told Dunya News in an interview how security forces including the Army, Air Force, Frontier Corps and Special Services Group Commandos together carried out a risky operation. He said, “The rescue operation was started immediately. But there was a need to be very cautious, as the BLA terrorists were in contact with their masters and helpers in Afghanistan through satellite phones.
How the army conducted the operation
Due to the presence of women and children, the security forces had to proceed very cautiously. First, the army snipers shot down the suicide bombers so that they could not burst their jackets. Because if they blew themselves up, there was a possibility of more people being killed. After this, the security forces evacuated the compartments one by one and killed all the terrorists without harming any hostage.
When the firing started
Sharif told Dunya News, the operation was carried out with great precision and caution. Since the terrorists were using the passengers as human shields, we had to ensure their safety at all costs. Survivors of the attack recalled the horrific scenes of violence. One of the rescued passengers, Mushtaq Muhammad, told BBC Urdu, “There was a huge explosion and firing started… It was a scene that can never be forgotten.”
What the hostages said
Another passenger, Ishaq Noor, who was travelling with his wife and two children, described how the first blast shook the train, causing his child to fall off his seat. “When I saw the bullets hitting the compartments, I pulled one of my children under me while my wife did the same with our other child. If the bullets had hit us, at least the children would have survived,” he said. Witnesses said the militants checked identity cards and singled out certain people. “Three militants were guarding the doors of our compartment. They told us they would not harm civilians, women, elderly or Baloch passengers,” Mushtaq said.
When militants started releasing hostages
As the standoff continued, the militants gradually released some of the hostages. “In the evening, they told us they were letting the Baloch, women, children and elderly passengers go,” Ishaq said. After the rescue operation, Lt Gen Sharif issued a stern warning, saying that this train attack has changed the rules of the game. “We cannot allow anyone to target Pakistanis at the behest of our foreign masters,” he said. He vowed to hunt down and eliminate terrorists and their aides wherever they are. Pakistan’s Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the successful operation of the security forces and said, “This terror attack is a tragic and heartbreaking incident. Every citizen is deeply saddened. Using innocent children and women as human shields is an extremely inhumane act. Naqvi further said that the aides of these terrorists will also be dealt with with iron hands.
