Who are the Baloch Liberation Army? Pakistan train hijacking was fuelled by decades of neglect and violence

By Sameen Mohsin Ali, Lecturer in International Development, University of Birmingham

Pakistan’s army has freed hundreds of hostages from a passenger train that was seized by armed militants in the south-western province of Balochistan on Tuesday, March 11. A number of those on board were military officials and police personnel travelling from Balochistan’s capital, Quetta, to Peshawar further north.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) quickly claimed responsibility for the hijacking. In a written…

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