A deadly hostage crisis aboard a train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province ended on Wednesday, with dozens of hostages and insurgents killed after security forces launched a military operation to free passengers held by Baloch separatists.

The attack unfolded on Tuesday (March 11) when heavily armed militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) targeted the Jaffar Express, which was traveling from Quetta to Peshawar. The assailants blew up a section of the track and opened fire on the train, taking hundreds of passengers hostage in the remote province.

According to Pakistani military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, the operation to rescue the captives was carried out overnight with extreme caution.

"Today, we freed a large number of people, including women and children," Chaudhry said, confirming that 21 hostages and 33 insurgents were killed during the offensive.

The BLA, however, claimed that it had executed around 50 hostages.

The Pakistani military declared the operation complete, with an army official—who spoke anonymously—stating that more than 300 hostages were successfully freed after a 30-hour ordeal.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti acknowledged casualties but refrained from providing exact figures, saying details would be shared later.

Eyewitness accounts from freed hostages paint a grim picture of the ordeal. Survivors described how the attackers ordered passengers off the train, falsely assuring them of safety before selecting individuals and executing them.

They asked us to come outside, saying we will not be harmed. When around 185 people came outside, they chose people and shot them down," one freed hostage told AFP.

Another survivor spoke of trekking for hours through rugged mountainous terrain in search of safety, describing the escape as "terrifying."

The BLA, which has been waging an armed insurgency in Balochistan for over two decades, has frequently targeted Pakistani security forces, civilians, and Chinese interests in the mineral-rich region.

The group claims that Pakistan and China exploit the province’s vast natural resources while the local Baloch population remains deprived of economic benefits. China has invested heavily in Balochistan under its Belt and Road Initiative, funding large-scale infrastructure projects, including ports, highways, and railways.

The hostage crisis underlines the persistent instability in Balochistan, where separatist violence has long posed a security challenge for Pakistan. The Pakistani government refused to negotiate with the insurgents, opting instead for military intervention to end the standoff.

The attack also comes amid heightened tensions in the region, as similar Baloch insurgent groups have carried out assaults in neighbouring Iran, further complicating efforts to contain the ongoing unrest.