The Baloch Liberation Army’s daring assault on Jaffar Express train and holding of hundreds of hostages has led to a propaganda war between the army and BLA, in which truth has become the biggest casualty. The main reason for lack of clarity is that the battle between the military and BLA was the rough terrain near Sibi, where the media couldn’t become eyewitnesses.
Over 350 passengers caught in this hijacking drama are thankful to be alive today. But there is a dispute between the ISPR and the BLA on how many militants and civilians were killed. In a period when buses can no longer ply safely on the highways between Quetta and other parts of Pakistan, it has deepened the crisis in Balochistan. In particular, the practice of BLA of checking ID cards of bus travelers and shooting them based on ethnicity, has brought the crisis to new levels.
Baloch nationalists argue that the common people of Balochistan are caught between militants and the army, with the latter picking up families to “disappear” their youth. They argue this has only hardened the anger of young people in the province and caused them to take up arms to demand secession.
The Jaffar Express hijacking has for the time being woken up Islamabad and renewed calls by civilians to hold talks with Baloch youth, in order to resolve the most basic problems in Pakistan’s poorest province.