BLA's Deadly Claim: All 214 Pakistani military hostages Killed in Jaffar Express Hijacking
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist organization active in Pakistan, has made a shocking claim. The organization has said that it has killed all the 214 hostages taken into its custody. BLA rebels have claimed that all those killed were Pakistani army personnel. Describing this incident as a defeat of the Pak army, the spokesperson of BLA said that the Pakistan government is responsible for these deaths. He alleged that the Pakistan government was not ready to talk to them and no dialogue has been established even after these deaths. It is noteworthy that on Tuesday, Baloch rebels hijacked the Jaffar Express train going from Quetta to Peshawar near Bolan Pass. There were about 450 passengers in this train. After this, the Pakistani army started a rescue operation, during which an encounter took place with the Baloch rebels. BLA claimed that more than two dozen of its fighters were killed in this encounter, while Pakistan said that 33 BLA fighters were killed.
The Pakistan government had claimed on Wednesday that the crisis was over and all the rebels had been killed. The government had also said that all the hostages had been released safely, although no proof was presented for this claim. Now the BLA has completely rejected the claims of the Pakistan government and said that the government is lying and does not care about its soldiers. The BLA had earlier given the government 48 hours to exchange the prisoners. BLA said that it has followed international law and rules of war. The organization said that the Pakistani army is itself responsible for the death of so many of its soldiers, because the government uses soldiers to incite war instead of peace. BLA said that Pakistan had to pay the price for this act by losing 214 of its soldiers. Describing the dead as 'martyrs', BLA said that 12 of its fighters have lost their lives in the fight for freedom, including three on Wednesday night, four last night and five fidayeen of Majeed Brigade. The organization said that Pakistan will always remember this defeat.
Giving details of the incident, BLA said that it was Operation 'Dar-e-Bolan'. The organization claimed that the fidayeen had trapped the Pakistani army. Some hostages were locked in a special coach, while others were taken to another place. When the Zarar Company of SSG commandos arrived to rescue them, there was a fierce gunfight between the fighters and the soldiers for several hours, in which many soldiers lost their lives. BLA said that its fidayeen fought till the last bullet and caused heavy damage to the Pak army, after which they shot themselves. The situation has become even more serious after this claim of BLA, as it contradicts the earlier statements of the Pakistani government. Tensions have increased further in the region due to this incident.
