Islamabad, March 14 — Pakistan’s military accused India of sponsoring militants in Balochistan after a deadly
train hijacking left 31 people dead, a charge swiftly denied by New Delhi.
Militants from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) ambushed a train in a remote part of Balochistan on Tuesday, taking about 400 passengers hostage before engaging in a prolonged standoff with forces.
The military said the operation ended late Wednesday with 33 attackers killed, while some managed to escape. A search operation was ongoing.
At a news conference in Islamabad, military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif accused India of backing the attack.
“In this terrorist incident in Balochistan, and others before, the main sponsor is your eastern neighbor,” he said, referring to India.
When questioned, Sharif acknowledged that most of those killed on the train were security personnel assigned to protect passengers or traveling home on leave.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, also speaking at the briefing, said Pakistan had “solid evidence” of India’s involvement but did not provide details.
India’s Foreign Ministry rejected the claim. “We strongly reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan,” ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.