’24 Hours Left To Exchange Prisoners’: Baloch Militants Warn Pakistan As Over 200 Passengers Held As Hostage

<p>The Baloch militants, who have hijacked a train in Pakistan’s Balochistan, have issued a ‘final warning’ on Wednesday saying Islamabad has only 24 hours left to exchange prisoners.</p>
<p>The fresh warning from the Baloch Liberation Army, the insurgent group behind the train hijack, came hours after the Jaffar Express, with around 500 passengers on board, was attacked near the tunnel in the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri and over 450 passengers were taken as hostages on Tuesday afternoon.</p>
<p>The BLA said it has given the Pakistani government a 48-hour ultimatum to exchange prisoners.&nbsp;</p>
<p>”Baloch Liberation Army freedom fighters have maintained complete control over the Jaffar Express and the onboard hostages for the past 24 hours. More than 200 serving enemy personnel, including intelligence agents, police, and paramilitary forces, are in BLA custody. These individuals have been directly involved in state terrorism, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and the looting of national resources on Baloch land,” the BLA statement said.</p>
<p>”BLA had given the Pakistani state a 48-hour ultimatum to exchange prisoners. However, the stubbornness, indifference, and continuous delaying tactics of the occupying state prove that Pakistan is not serious about saving the lives of its own military personnel. Instead, it is demonstrating traditional hypocrisy and disregard,” the statement added.</p>
<p>The Pakistani security forces have rescued 190 passengers and killed at least 30 militants in Balochistan as they battled to free the remaining hostages. Over 200 passengers are still in the custody of the militants.</p>
<p>”Now, a day has passed and the occupying state has only 24 hours left. If Pakistan does not make practical progress on the prisoner exchange within the given ultimatum, all hostages will be presented before the Baloch National Court. There, they will be tried on charges of state atrocities, colonial occupation, genocide, exploitation, and involvement in war crimes in Balochistan,” the statement said.</p>
<p>This trial will be prompt, impartial, and transparent and if found guilty, the criminals will be punished according to Baloch national laws, the BLA said.</p>
<p>The Jaffar Express, carrying some 400 passengers in nine coaches, was going from Quetta to Peshawar when militants derailed it using explosives and hijacked it.</p>
<p>A security source told PTI that around 30 people who sustained injuries had been sent to hospitals. Meanwhile, two drivers in the main engine and eight security personnel were killed during the operation.</p>