section_path: Abstract
section_name: Abstract
paragraph_text: The Jaffar Express, a Pakistani passenger train travelling from Quetta to Peshawar with at least 380 passengers on board, was hijacked by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on 11 March 2025. The attackers detonated explosives in tunnels and on the train tracks before opening fire on the train, halting it in a mountainous region which was difficult for authorities to access. The organization issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Baloch political prisoners to be released or they would execute hostages, although they had already released some. As a result, Pakistan Railways temporarily suspended its train operations between Balochistan and the provinces of Punjab and Sindh.
  
  From 11 to 12 March 2025, the Pakistan Armed Forces launched an operation, codenamed Operation Green Bolan, to raid the hijacked train multiple times, eventually releasing 354 hostages and killing the 33 BLA insurgents. Pakistani officials said at least 64 people, including 18 soldiers and 33 attackers, were killed during the incident, and 38 others were injured.
  
  In response to the insurgency, the Pakistani political parties unanimously passed a resolution condemning it during a National Assembly session. Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, condemned the attack as "cowardly acts", sent condolences to the victims' families and, after the resolution of the crisis, said that the BLA members had been "sent to hell". The attack on civilians by BLA was universally condemned by various global figures, who voiced their support towards Pakistan against terrorism. Afghanistan and India, historically having been accused of assisting the BLA by Pakistan, have both denied claims of involvement in the attack. Following the attack, Pakistan Railways implemented plans to increase patrol forces in the country's various railway systems and more thoroughly inspect passengers and transport vehicles to prevent similar attacks. Additionally, both surveillance drones and closed-circuit television cameras were set to be utilized to further monitor train and railway activity upon resumed operations. Protests in Balochistan, organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), began on 20 March 2025 in part due to police crackdown on civilians gathering at the Quetta Civil Hospital to identify bodies from the train hijacking.