‘Checked IDs, took away Punjabis’: Freed Pak train hostages recount ‘terrifying’ ordeal

Freed hostages from the train hijack in southwestern Pakistan found it difficult to put into words the ordeal they went through and how they managed to escape from their captors. Some of them said they trekked for several hours through difficult mountainous terrain to reach safety.

More than 155 hostages have been rescued and 27 rebels killed by security forces, according to the latest reports on the Jaffar Express hijack.

A group fighting for Balochistan’s independence from Pakistan brought the train to a halt after setting off several explosions on the railway track near the mountainous terrain of Gudalar and Piru Kunri in the Bolan area on Tuesday afternoon. The rebels took hostage more than 450 passengers.

Also Read: Pakistan train hijack: 155 rescued, 27 rebels killed; BLA claims otherwise

‘Never to be forgotten’

There was a huge explosion and firing, a scene that can never be forgotten, said Mushtaq Muhammad as he recounted the moment when Baloch militants attacked the train.

According to a report by BBC Urdu, Mushtaq, who was in coach number three of the train, said, “The attack started with a huge explosion. After that, the firing started. The firing continued for an hour. It was a scene that can never be forgotten.”

‘Terrifying’

“I can’t find the words to describe how we managed to escape. It was terrifying,” one of the hostages, Muhammad Bilal, told news agency AFP.

Bilal was travelling with his mother on the train.

Another passenger Allahditta said he heard the sound of an explosion followed by gunfire as the hijackers got on board the train. He said the passengers began hiding under the seats as the rebels separated the men from the women.

“They allowed me and my family to go because I told them I’m a heart patient,” said the 49-year-old Allahditta.

He said they walked for a long time through the mountains to reach the nearest station. He said he hadn’t eaten since he began fasting that morning.

Also Read: Pakistan train hijacked; BLA claims over 150 passengers in its custody

Rebels check ID cards

Another passenger said the rebels checked the identity cards of the passengers in order to confirm who was from outside the province.

“The rebels checked IDs, and took away those who were Punjabis,” said the rescued hostage.

“They shot two soldiers in front of me, and took the other four soldiers somewhere,” said another passenger who had walked four hours to the nearest train station.

‘Windows and doors shook’

Ishaq Noor, who was in coach number seven of the train, was travelling from Quetta to Rawalpindi with his wife and two children. “The explosion was so intense that the windows and doors of the train shook and one of my children, who was sitting near me, fell down,” he said.

Seeing the firing and bullets hitting the coaches, Ishaq pulled one of his children under him while his wife pulled the other child under her so that “if a bullet hits us, the children will be saved.”

“The firing must have lasted for about 50 minutes... During this time, we were not even breathing, not knowing what would happen.” Mushtaq said that the firing gradually stopped and the armed men entered the bogies.

“They started checking the identity cards of some people and separated some of them. Three militants were guarding the doors of our coach. They told the people that they would not say anything to civilians, women, old people and Baloch people,” he said.

One who resisted taken down and shot

Mushtaq also said these people (attackers) were talking to each other in Balochi and their leader was repeatedly telling them to keep a special eye on the security personnel and they should not get out of hand.

Ishaq says, “I think they took at least 11 passengers down from our coach and said that they were security personnel. At this point, one person tried to resist, so he was tortured and taken down and then there was the sound of gunfire. After that, all the people in the coach followed his instructions.”

Ishaq said that in the evening, the attackers told the passengers that they were releasing Baloch, women, children and elderly passengers.

“They were not letting me go, but when I told them that I was a resident of Turbat (Balochistan) and that I had children and women with me, they let me go too.”

Walk to station in dark

Another passenger Muhammad Ashraf said that the militants let the elderly, civilians, women and children go and then their long walk to the nearest Paneer Station began in the evening.

“We reached Paneer Station in three to three and a half hours with great difficulty, because we were tired and there were children, young girls and women with us,” he said.

He said that most of the people had left their luggage on the train, while some were coming with their luggage.

He said that “there was a lot of fear among the passengers, it was a scene of doomsday.” “According to my estimate, they (the extremists) had taken around 250 people with them and the number of attackers was also around 1,100," Ashraf said.

The passengers who escaped walked over the mountains to the nearest train station and then took a train to Mach, about 200 km from the Iran border. The trains carrying the survivors were met by doctors and paramilitary forces at Mach.

One paramedic said he was treating two police officers who had been shot, one in the knee, and the other had received five bullets.

Also Read: US issues advisory cautioning against travel close to India-Pak border, Balochistan

BLA claims credit

The train, with around 500 passengers on board in nine coaches, was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar when it came under attack.

The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed credit for the siege. The group has carried out several attacks in the past.

The BLA claims that Balochistan’s natural resources are being exploited by outsiders, and has attacked Pakistanis hailing from other regions.

(With agency inputs)