The Jaffar Express Hijacking and the Battle for Balochistan: Rising Insurgency and the Struggle for Independence
From a Daring Attack to Decades of Repression — Examining the Roots and Realities of Balochistan's Fight Against Pakistan
Introduction:
On March 11, 2025, fighters of the Balochistan Liberation Army hijacked a train, the Jaffar Express, carrying Pakistani Military, paramilitary forces, and Intelligence Officials in addition to regular civilians. The train regularly plies between Quetta and Peshawar. This daring hijacking comes amidst a rise in the number of large-scale, sophisticated, and high profile attacks by the BLA across the length and breadth of Balochistan. While the fighters were all allegedly killed, it shows a dramatic enhancement of BLA’s capabilities and training. Out of approximately 400 passengers, around 346 were rescued and at least 28 were dead, There was also a speech by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, a cleric and lawmaker, in the Pakistan National Assembly that if Balochistan wanted, it could secede from Pakistan and there is nothing that Pakistan could realistically do about it. Such statements, especially in a public setting, should not be taken lightly, and signal a huge churn in Balochistan, which has differences with Pakistan so severe that calls for secession and independence have reached new heights. To understand this sensitive matter, it is important to look at the history of Balochistan from the 1900s.
The Balochi People:
Balochis are a Western Iranian ethnic group who are native to the Balochistan region of South and Western Asia, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. They speak the Balochi language and a majority follow Sunni Islam. They are divided into three countries - Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. They form the majority in the Sistan-Baluchestan province in Iran, Nimroz Province of Afghanistan, and a plural majority in the Balochistan province in Pakistan.
The Hijacking of the Jaffar Express:
The Jaffar Express had left Quetta and had partly entered a tunnel, when BLA Operatives blew up the tracks, forcing the loco pilot to grind the train to a halt. The BLA let most civilians go. This is in contrast to the Pakistani Army which often conducts operations without concern for civilian casualties. BLA attacks are directed largely towards two groups - Chinese Technicians, and Pakistani Military-Intelligence. Occasional attacks are directed towards civilians who are suspected of being collaborators. In this attack, there were about 200 army men and paramilitaries that the BLA wanted to target. The BLA demanded that some political prisoners must be released within 48 hours, otherwise the hostages would be executed. The numbers of people dead and missing in unclear. A rescue operation was mounted, and the Inter-Services Public Relations Director General claimed that all 33 attackers were ‘sent to hell’. The numbers are at odds with eyewitness claims.
A brief history of Balochistan, 1947 onwards:
To understand the insurgency and what has fueled it for decades, it is important to look at the history of Balochistan from 1947 onwards. What most people do not know is that the Balochistan Province in Pakistan was not originally a part of Pakistan. Balochistan under undivided India was carved up into four different former princely states - Kalat, Makran, Las Bela and Kharan. All princely states across undivided India had three options during the independence struggle and partition - join India, join Pakistan, or remain independent. The Khan of Kalat chose to be independent, while the other three provinces acceded to Pakistan. On August 4, 1947, a meeting was held between the Khan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah (the first PM of Pakistan), Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru(the first PM of India), and Lord Mountbatten (the last Viceroy of British India). Jinnah initially supported Kalat’s independence, and the Khan trusted Jinnah. A bunch of Baloch tribal leaders (known as sardars) wrote letters to the Khan, asking that should he declare independence, they would also join him. After all, they too, were a part of the Baloch Nation. By December, The Khan was faced with increased pressure from Jinnah to join Pakistan. He then tried to accede to India, but Nehru declined the offer, believing that a strong Pakistan would secure India’s Western Flank. This happened just two months after Pakistan tried to occupy the independent princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947. It is important to take cognizance of the fact that India was a much poorer country back then, and probably could not have been able to provide the necessary security to Balochistan. Gwadar, the only port in Balochistan, was an Omani outpost, and probably would not have been open for shipping troops and equipment from India. The Khan then signed the instrument of accession under heavy pressure from Islamabad on March 27, 1948. Following this, the Khan’s brother revolted and started an insurgency. It is in this insurgency that the Balochistan Liberation Army finds its roots in. The BLA Argues that the accession of Kalat in 1948 was forced onto the Baloch people, and that Balochistan is not legally a part of Pakistan due to the coercive manner in which the agreement was signed. The Baloch people have risen up in arms time and again in opposition to the Pakistani state, with a yearning for independence.
To achieve independence, the BLA is more than willing to take up arms against Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A grievance that the Baloch people have is that since 1948, Pakistan has ignored their grievances. Balochistan is about 46% of Pakistan’s territory, and holds a majority of its natural resources. Islamabad and Rawalpindi are happy to exploit and sell these resources, but they prevent Quetta from enjoying the economic benefits these resources bring. Then there is the Chinese angle. Gwadar Port was a major point of focus for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, and would solve two problems simultaneously - Economic growth in Pakistan’s most impoverished regions, and economic growth in China’s most impoverished eastern provinces. This has played a major role in fueling the insurgency.
Reasons For The Baloch Insurgency:
Systematic Repression: Islamabad has been accused of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of activists, journalists, and peaceful protesters in Balochistan. This compels the Baloch to turn to armed resistance.
History: The Forced Accession of Kalat has not been forgotten by many Baloch, who take up arms against Pakistan. Often, in anti-insurgent operations, the military causes heavy civilian casualties, which leads to spikes in support for the insurgency. The insurgents enjoy a lot of support and can melt away into the population.
Economic Deprivation: Balochistan is a land rich in natural resources, which Pakistan has relied on to alleviate its ongoing forex crisis. In spite of this, it is one of the most barren and impoverished parts of Pakistan, neglected by the government. The Central Government is happy to exploit resources but prevents its economic impact to trickle down to the average Baloch. Islamabad tries to play different tribes against each other to ensure its influence over the region. However, time and again, certain movements rise up and all tribes support it, leading to
CPEC: Chinese investments have poured into Balochistan as a part of CPEC. However, these have not benefited the average Baloch. The Chinese are seen as the overlords of the Pakistani Government. The jobs mostly go to Chinese technicians and workers, further increasing anti-Chinese and anti-Pakistan sentiments. The Baloch see few benefits of investment, if any. This project, however, is very important for China on several fronts. Firstly, it circumvents the Indian Ocean, Malacca Straits, and the South China Sea, all chokepoints that China’s adversaries can blockade and cut off a lot of energy and shipping access. It is also the flagship of the CPEC, a model that is the center of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Taliban support: The BLA has ramped up its activities following Afghanistan’s administration being taken over by the Taliban in 2021. The Afghan Taliban has refused to recognize the Durand Line and considers Pakistan an enemy state. It extends significant military support to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). The TTP has wreaked havoc upon Pakistan and has stretched its resources thin. The BLA has seized this vulnerability of Pakistan and increased its own activities. There is also a chance that the Afghan Taliban has extended equipment support and intelligence to the BLA. There are also chances of the TTP and the BLA co-operating on certain fronts. This can be a way for the Taliban to quell chances of an uprising in Nimroz, or gain access to a seaport if and when Balochistan achieves independence.
Hurdles to an independent Balochistan:
The biggest hurdle to Balochistan’s freedom is that it shares a border with Pakistan - something that Bangladesh did not have during the 1971 war. This makes it easy for Rawalpindi to resupply its troops fighting in Balochistan and to conduct aerial and naval campaigns.
Another issue is that Balochistan is one topic that Iran and Pakistan see eye-to-eye on - if Pakistani Baloch declare independence, the newly-formed country might be used by Iranian Baloch as a staging ground for terrorist attacks, something unacceptable for Teheran. The BLA would have to quell any and all irredentists in its camp and would also have to offer Iran tangible security guarantees to prevent Iran from taking military action against the BLA.
Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is also a major hurdle. Pakistan has sponsored terrorist groups against its neighbours to fulfill its aims, and has no reason to do the same with Balochistan. It is very difficult to prevent lone wolf attacks by Pakistan-backed groups.
Conclusions:
The hijacking of the Jaffar Express comes at a very crucial moment for both, the BLA and for Pakistan. At this point, Pakistan is a fortress beseiged - surrounded by hostile powers both without and within. However, it is a sink of its own making - Pakistan could have chosen to peacefully coexist with its neighbours but decided to foment terrorism and trouble. Now, all the troubles have come home to roost. How Pakistan deals with these crises, and how the BLA plans its future moves, will be a sight to behold. The only reason why Pakistan receives external support is because of its nuclear warheads - something every power now would try to get rid of.
An independent and Friendly Balochistan (if it is) can prove to be a STRATEGIC boon to India.
Balochistan’s struggle is a testament to decades of oppression and exploitation.
This was a very insightful read