The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) announced on Friday that it had killed all 214 Pakistani military personnel who were captured during the takeover of the Jaffar Express train.
The organization blamed the Pakistani government for ignoring its demands and not holding meaningful talks for the release of the captives.
In a press statement, BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch announced that the organization had put Pakistan on a 48-hour notice to facilitate a prisoner swap. But he accused the Pakistani military of being motivated by "traditional stubbornness and arrogance" as they failed to recognize the seriousness of the situation and evaded honest negotiations.
"Due to this stubbornness, all 214 hostages have been killed,"
Mr. Baloch explained, stressing that the group had acted in terms of the rules of war and international law. He condemned the Pakistani government for opting for military conflict over diplomacy, alleging that it "elected to utilize its personnel as pawns of war instead of releasing them through negotiation."
The statement also commemorated 12 BLA martyrs who died in the current conflict, including five suicide bombers—known as 'Fidayeen'—from the Majeed Brigade of the group. The BLA claimed that these combatants inflicted a "devastating and unforgettable blow" on the Pakistani army.
"Fidayeen locked some hostage military personnel in designated compartments and took strategic positions, while other freedom fighters took the remaining captives to a safe place,"
Mr. Baloch clarified.
"When Pakistani SSG commandos of the Zarar Company mounted a rescue bid for the hostages within the Jaffar Express, the Fidayeen warriors ringed them around and opened a fierce assault."
The fight, as informed by Mr. Baloch, went on for many hours, causing heavy losses to the SSG commandos. He alleged that when the fight intensified, all the hostages were killed, whereas the Fidayeen completed their operation with unflinching loyalty, ending up going for self-sacrifice by using the last bullet to shoot themselves.
He also criticized the Pakistani army for parading the bodies of the dead Fidayeen as a "symbol of victory," claiming that their operation was never about survival but about fighting to the last breath.
Furthermore, Mr. Baloch rejected Pakistani reports of successfully liberating hostages, claiming that the ones put forth as "rescued" had been actually released by the BLA on the first day under the "rules of war" and released on safe passage.
He also said there were fierce engagements in Bolan, where Baloch militants ambushed Pakistani troops in several places. He said the Pakistani military was finding it difficult to bring back the remains of its martyred soldiers as BLA combatants continued offering them resistance.
"With each moment, the BLA's superiority on the battlefield is being more and more clear,
he stated, indicating that more information about what the group refers to as "Operation Darra-e-Bolan" would be released upon its conclusion.
"The fight continues," he added.
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