Quetta, Pakistan: Separatist Baloch Liberation Army militia members on Tuesday hijacked a passenger train in the Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province. The train driver was injured during the hijack operation, following which security guards aboard the Jafar Express fired back, officials said.

The incident took place as the train was travelling from Quetta to Peshawar, government spokesman Shahid Rind confirmed. Following the driver's injury, the train halted in a remote area, prompting security reinforcements to be deployed to Bolan. The situation regarding the train and its passengers remained unclear.

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The separatist Baloch Liberation Army, which has been engaged in a long-running insurgency in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, BLA said gunmen bombed the railway track and took control of the train in the remote Sibi district.

"Over 450 passengers onboard are being held hostage by gunmen," Muhammad Kashif, a senior railway government official in Quetta, the capital of the province, told AFP.

Authorities in Pakistan’s Balochistan province have ordered local officials to implement “emergency measures” after insurgents attacked a passenger train, injuring the driver. Meanwhile, Controller Railways Muhammad Kashif stated that the train, consisting of nine coaches, was carrying around 500 passengers.

“The train was stopped by armed men in Tunnel No 8. Efforts are being made to contact the passengers and staff,” the controller said. A provincial government statement said an emergency was imposed at Sibi hospital, and ambulances and security forces were on their way to the site.

Rind said the officials were facing difficulties in reaching the site due to the rocky terrain. “The railway department has sent more trains to the site to provide rescue,” the statement further said.

“The scale of the incident and the possibility of terrorist elements are being determined. The Balochistan government has ordered that emergency measures be taken, and all institutions remain active.”

Due to past militant attacks, security personnel are regularly deployed on trains in Balochistan. In November, the separatist group carried out a suicide bombing at Quetta’s railway station, killing 26 people, including railway staff, security personnel, and passengers.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, is rich in oil and minerals. However, the ethnic Baloch community has long accused the central government of discrimination and resource exploitation, fuelling separatist tensions in the region.

(with inputs from agencies)