The Pakistani government was dealt a blow after several Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) militants hijacked a passenger train with over 450 people on board.
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00:00Good evening it's a massive setback to the Pakistan army in Balochistan
00:05information that's coming in more than 180 Pakistan army personnel some of the
00:1133 infantry division have been taken hostage in Balochistan by Baloch
00:18freedom fighters Baloch fighters have ambushed a train they ambushed a train
00:24carrying close to 500 passengers during Ramzan near the Bolan Pass Pakistan
00:31army and Air Force as you can see in those images on your television screen
00:34they've launched helicopter-borne operations helicopters are not just
00:38being used to ferry SSG commandos special services group commandos of the
00:43Pakistan army but also regular troops to cordon off that entire area drone
00:49strikes have also been carried out we're told one drone has been brought down by
00:54the Baloch fighters now the Baloch fighters have threatened to kill
00:58hostages in the next 48 hours not just if the airstrikes don't come to a
01:04complete halt or if their demands are not met the situation is very very
01:12precarious even as we speak now the hostage crisis has deepened according
01:20to information that we've received these are soldiers of the Quetta based 33
01:25infantry division that's part of 12th Corps that's based in Quetta and these
01:30soldiers were on the way to Peshawar were they on leave or were they on their
01:35way for a military operation to the rest of northwest frontier province of
01:40Pakistan from the rest of Balochistan province apparently intelligence leaked
01:46all information about their movement leaked to the Baloch fighters the
01:51information we have is that these are Majid Brigade and Fatah squad fighters
01:55of the Baloch Liberation Army they mounted a precise intelligence-based
02:00operations close to tunnel number eight near the Bolan Pass that's the
02:05information we have the Baloch Liberation Army has just issued a
02:08statement they've said 214 214 Pakistan Army personnel are in their custody
02:16they want the Pakistan government and army to release all Baloch political
02:22prisoners we get you details over the course of the next half hour I'm Gaurav
02:27Sawant this operation is underway but as always let's get started with the
02:31headlines on India first
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04:14the Majid Brigade and Fatah squad fighters of the Baloch Liberation Army
04:19have issued a chilling ultimatum to the Pakistan army after hijacking the Jaffer
04:24Express enroute Peshawar from Quetta this afternoon the Baloch fighters are
04:29warned all hostages will be executed if Pakistan does not meet their demands or
04:36launches a military operation to rescue 214 Pakistan army personnel held
04:41hostage in a statement the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility
04:46for the attack and said they'd taken hostages from the train including
04:49security forces personnel now all civilians have been released 20
04:54according to a report that's coming in from Pakistan 20 military personnel have
04:59reportedly been killed so far in the in the unfolding crisis these soldiers are
05:05believed to be of the 33 infantry division based at Quetta the train has
05:10been derailed inside a tunnel and the hostages are all inside the train and
05:16the tunnel
05:29Pakistan which has for long bread terror is at its receiving end a passenger
05:44train Jaffer Express from Balochistan's Quetta to Peshawar has been hijacked
05:52when the train reached Abaigam armed men stopped it near tunnel number eight and
05:58hijacked it with more than 500 passengers on board
06:06motive of our attack was very clear the Baloch Liberation Army has claimed
06:12responsibility an exchange of fire took place between security forces and the
06:18Baloch fighters the BLA claims they've so far killed 20 Pakistani military
06:26personnel
06:30according to the government in Balochistan the engine driver was
06:34seriously injured in the initial firing after intense clashes Pakistani ground
06:42troops were forced to retreat following their failure on ground Pakistani
06:49security forces mobilized multiple helicopters and armed drones and are now
06:55conducting a strikes
06:59the Baloch fighters have threatened to execute all hostages if security forces
07:05don't stop the aerial bombardment Pakistani journalists claim that the
07:12news is being suppressed by the Pakistani government
07:17our mainstream media is saying that the news is being suppressed by the Pakistani government
07:24so you can understand how the media is being controlled
07:29how they control the media that what happened in Balochistan and the news is being suppressed
07:36the provincial government of Balochistan has imposed an emergency in the region
07:42and all institutions and forces have been mobilized to deal with the hostage
07:49crisis Bureau report India today
07:56let me now get you the latest update that's coming in from Pakistan so of the
08:00450 plus passengers on board this train the Baloch fighters are reported to have
08:04released all the women all the children and all Baloch nationals who had their
08:09identity cards we are told 214 that's the number that the Baloch liberation
08:14army is giving 214 Pakistan army personnel some are putting the number
08:18even higher are still being held hostage there are also reports that say as of
08:23now 30 Pakistan army personnel have been killed but these are reports that are
08:27coming in Pakistan army has mounted aerial operations but there are reports
08:31that one drone has been downed joining me now on the special broadcast is Mona
08:35Alam a senior journalist from Pakistan professor Brahma Chalani is a very
08:39well-respected strategic affairs analyst who's been tracking Pakistan Afghanistan
08:43this region very closely Mehran Mari is a respected Baloch activist joining us
08:48on the broadcast Mona how bad is the situation what is the Pakistani media
08:53reporting about this thank you Gaurav for putting this at priority because you
09:01know this is a serious situation I think obviously it's it's just not the
09:06right thing and I think it's quite bad it's quite ridiculous to call them
09:10freedom fighters because freedom fighters are brave people had they been
09:15freedom fighters they would have been fighting our army and you know the the
09:20armed men in the open under broad daylight but unfortunately they've again
09:25resorted to the same cowardly acts it has almost become a regularized
09:29hypocritic and a cowardly feature of the BLA to target women and children and
09:35I mean as far as my reports are concerned because we are here on ground
09:39we agree getting our direct correspondence from Balochistan only
09:43where this incident has actually happened and what we are told so far is
09:47the fact that they've kept women and children hostages and this is why the
09:51army is taking a very cautious approach when it's trying to go ahead with the
09:56clearance operation the clearance operation is as we speak is underway and
10:00obviously they're very cautious because this is the same BLA which has been
10:05using women and children as human bombs and you know they're trying they've
10:09always been using them as human shields this is what they're doing today and
10:14unfortunately this is why we are just cautious otherwise had it not been for
10:18women and children we would have taken them straight away hands down I mean I
10:22don't have any qualms about that absolutely
10:25Mehran Mari what can you tell us about about the operations that the BLA has
10:31undertaken we've just seen a report that says the Majid Brigade has 214
10:35Pakistan army personnel who are being held hostage and they'd be killed if a
10:39military operation is mounted well the lady gets her information from the ISPR
10:43obviously and they said 250 women are there so obviously Pakistan army I
10:49qualify them as women because they are cowards they never fight regular Baloch
10:54fighters they always attack women and children so she's speaking on behalf of
10:57the Pakistan army I think they targeted Pakistani army personal intelligence
11:02agents they released the women for correction of the record and the
11:06Pakistani personnel have been held by them I don't see how that is cowardly
11:12hide from Baloch fighters I mean isn't that coward I mean I don't understand
11:17then the BLA should be fighting the same men they shouldn't be targeting
11:21women and children isn't the BLA filming women in obscene videos and then
11:25blackmailing them and then asking them to become human bombs and attack
11:29different areas different people different targets isn't this your ISPR
11:36propaganda mechanism is quite diverse there is no journalist in Pakistan
11:42Pakistan has no journalists everybody works for the military if they don't
11:47that is absolutely true your media is not showing anything about what's
11:51happening in Balochistan
11:58there is no operation underway give me a moment as I bring in professor
12:02Brahma Chalani to try and make sense of what's happening on ground so perhaps
12:06you know we have a fair idea of the sentiments in Balochistan and in and in
12:11Pakistan but professor Brahma Chalani does this appear to be a massive change
12:16in tactics of the Baloch liberation army you know instead of a standoff
12:21attack or a hit-and-run this seems to be they seem to be better armed they have
12:25better intelligence better training and tactics and they seem to be engaging the
12:29Pakistan army the point where the offense took place offensive action and
12:34the derailing of the train inside the tunnel what does this indicate professor
12:38Chalani the train ambush clearly is a major development because the Baloch
12:46separatists had prior information that the train was carrying many Pakistani
12:51soldiers so it's ambush was a major development a major success for the
13:00Baloch separatists but look at the larger irony Gaurav the Pakistani state
13:07a long-standing state sponsor of terrorism is getting a taste of its own
13:12medicine Pakistan's neighbors all agree on one thing that the Pakistani state
13:20through its powerful military and the military's rogue ISI agency has been
13:26sponsoring cross-border terrorism against its neighbors but the Baloch
13:32problem persists for Pakistan because of several important factors first is the
13:39forced accession of Balochistan in 1948 then the marginalization of Balochistan
13:47Balochistan has been marginalized and neglected by the central government
13:52leading to feelings of under-reputation and exploitation Pakistan talks about
14:00addressing the root causes of the conflict in Kashmir but it's unable to
14:05address the root causes of the Baloch conflict yes it needs to it needs to
14:10address the historical grievances the political and economic marginalization
14:14of the Baloch and the human rights abuses that are rampant in Balochistan
14:19only then yes we'll talk about that in greater detail because the situation now
14:25is so precarious that political leaders within Pakistan Mona are saying that
14:31there are multiple districts in Balochistan no longer in the control of
14:35the Pakistani security forces take Fazlur Rahman for example he recently
14:39said that there are six to seven to eight districts in Balochistan no longer
14:44in control of Pakistani forces prophetic words coming true within weeks Mona
14:48before I come to you just listen in to to Maulana Fazlur Rahman
15:11Mona what's the situation is it as bad as Maulana Fazlur Rahman and apparently
15:17he's not the only one there are other leaders including senior political
15:21leaders in Pakistan who've said the situation in Balochistan is so precarious
15:25that Pakistan army no longer has any control there well easier said than done
15:30but you know when we talk about neglecting Balochistan and not giving
15:35them their due share given the kind of resourceful province that Balochistan
15:39is it is indeed the most resourceful province and of course the public of
15:43Balochistan expects the same kind of kind of reciprocation in what in terms
15:49of what they are getting as as the state's own resources being spent on
15:53them this is a very fair argument and we've been contesting this argument I
15:58think by very fair means since past many decades a lot of governments have
16:03come in they've tried a lot of establishment heads have come in they
16:06have tried their best obviously I do not deny this this is a factual position
16:10Balochistan Balochistan needs a fair hearing Balochistan needs its fair share
16:15of representation it needs a fair share of of you know resources being spent
16:21resources which are coming in from Balochistan of course Balochistan should
16:25be prioritized. Balochistan needs nothing from you. Okay I want to understand that from you, I want to understand that from you, Mehran Mali, so let's keep this conversation
16:33Mehran Mali why are these words not soothing for people of Balochistan
16:38Balochistan is not a beggar Pakistan is a beggar we do not want any handouts from
16:43Pakistan Balochistan needs this not the other we don't need anything from you we
16:47want you out we have everything to sustain ourselves and prosper so we
16:51don't want any Punjabi to be sorry for us we will give them their fair share we
16:55give them fair share of the resources or their rights we don't need anything from
16:58you all we need you is out and that second you understand this clear and
17:02loud message from the Baloch nation the sooner the problem will be solved so do
17:07not feel sorry for us. Mehran Mali before I bring in Mona Alam to respond to this and
17:11Professor Brahmachilani I want to understand from you Mehran Mali, Pakistan is a nuclear
17:15weapon state it has a very strong army so can Baloch can a ragtag you know
17:22bunch of people fight the Pakistan all-powerful Pakistan army and the ISI
17:28the Baloch nation is not a ragtag bunch of people as Musharraf or unfortunately
17:33you saying it Baloch is a nation it knows how to defend itself it might not
17:37have credible or strong friends at present but if countries like Ukraine
17:41can fight Russia with our power with the help of other people we will find
17:45friends in the international community if Pakistan is so arrogant on the basis
17:50of China as being its big brother or its I don't know husband or whatever you
17:56want to call it because always find somebody to protect it we're not scared
17:59of China or Pakistan Baloch knows how to defend itself and we're not ragtag
18:04bunch of people we are a nation and we will defend our rights and our nation
18:08okay and Mona is before I bring in Professor Chilani is that a cause for
18:12serious concern considering you know the Baloch fighters are not night blind they
18:17have access to night vision devices thermal images they have the latest
18:21carbines a lot of ammunition and arms that were in Afghanistan through TTP
18:28Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and with TTP it's it's a very potent force that's
18:33actually pushed the Pakistan army on the back foot in Balochistan and TTP in
18:37KPK look I do not have any doubts on their their weapons and their might and
18:45their and their might regarding you know the kind of weaponry or the kind of
18:48ammunition that they have but obviously all reptiles have come together against
18:52Pakistan I have no qualms and no doubts about this it's not a Punjabi it's not a
18:56Punjabi who's sympathizing with Balochistan this is a proud Pakhtoon
19:01woman whom you're talking to I'm a Durrani I hail from Quetta my paternal
19:05house is still very much in Quetta I'm not an absconder I'm not somebody on on
19:10self-imposed exile my family is still very much resides in Quetta and I very
19:15much know the situation out there this is why I'm voicing out for the right
19:18answer for us Bhukti is a Bhukti as well. He is a Bhukti. He is a Bhukti. But they are touts that does not make him a Baloch. No, you cannot have good and bad Baloch.
19:30This is a bad bifurcation, I'm sorry. This is a bad bifurcation, I do. You know what, I tell you, this is where the politicians come in from Balochistan, even the former caretaker prime minister was from Balochistan, former chief justice was from Balochistan. All traitors, all traitors, all work for the Punjabi establishment.
19:50I want to bring in Professor Chilani, I know the pain, I can understand the agony of Balochistan and Pakistan at this stage, but I want to bring in Professor Chilani.
19:59I am a proud Baloch, who is struggling for the rights of my country. I am a puppet of my country.
20:05Professor Chilani, Pakistan says you can't have a good Baloch and a bad Baloch, but Pakistan has good terrorists and bad terrorists. The kind of weapons and systems that Baloch fighters have. Is Pakistan army on the back foot, sir?
20:18It is clearly, because the Baloch problem is just one of the internal problems that Pakistan faces. There is Pashtun discontent, there is Sindhi discontent, there is unrest in the northern areas.
20:35Where is Pakistan at peace? Within its borders. Where? Where? This is the reality of Pakistan today and the Baloch problem, the insurgency and violence there are directly linked to the instability and underdevelopment and to the exploitation of Balochistan.
20:57And let's not forget the human rights abuses. The conflict has led to widespread human rights abuses, including enforced disappearance, extrajudicial killings and torture. There is no freedom.
21:11So what is the endgame that you see? Is Balochistan today, Bangladesh 2.0, how long for that or can Pakistan stem the rot?
21:21I think the Baloch problem will continue to haunt Pakistan and this issue can only be addressed by addressing the root causes of this problem.
21:35And the problem is that the establishment in Pakistan, by that I mean the military establishment, refuses to read the writing on the wall.
21:45The establishment in Pakistan right now has an immediate problem and that's 200 plus hostages inside the tunnel number 8 near Bolan Pass.
21:53And remember, if you go back in history, Bolan Pass was quite a nightmare, even for the British army when they went for the Afghan campaign.
22:01Mona Alam, Mehran Marri and Professor Brahmachalani for joining me here on India Today, many thanks.
22:07We are tracking the story very, very closely.