Quetta, May 25: The deadly attack by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on the Pakistani military train yesterday marks a huge blow to Pakistan Army as it demonstrates how vulnerable its soldiers are in the occupied Balochistan.
Although the Generals and other top Commanders of Pakistan Army would not care, it is the lower-level soldiers of the military who have to bear the brunt frequently, including paying with their lives.
According to the BLA, which claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack, at least 82 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 121 injured after its suicide bomber targeted a 3-coach shuttle train which was ferrying 336 military personnel from the Quetta Cantt to the Quetta Railway Station for onward journey by Jaffer Express, out of Balochistan.
One of the bogies overturned due to the impact of the massive explosion, while two other bogies derailed. Several buildings and many vehicles in the vicinity were also damaged or destroyed in the attack.
Quetta Attack: BLA claims 82 Pakistani soldiers killed, 121 injured
The successful operation by BLA meant breaching of the Pakistani military’s new and clandestine travel protocol, which it had enforced with utmost secrecy following the hijacking of the Jaffer Express and the attack at the Shal railway station on November 9, 2024.
The November 9, 2024, attack, in which over 200 soldiers were killed or injured, had paralyzed the traditional defense structure of the Pakistani military, after which it changed its protocol and method of transporting military personnel from public railway stations in an attempt to keep them out of the reach of the Baloch freedom fighters.
New Protocol of Pakistani Military:
The new protocol, established by the Pakistani military due to intense fear, included movement of four to five specific railway carriages from inside the high-security zone of Quetta Cantonment to the Quetta (Shal) Railway Station, under the cover of night, a few hours prior to the departure of Jaffer Express.
As per this protocol, military personnel going on leave or reporting for new deployments board these carriages in the morning, within the secure perimeter of the Cantonment.
Then, these carriages, in the form of a military shuttle train, are brought out of the Cantonment to the Quetta railway station exactly half an hour before the Jaffer Express’s departure to be attached to the passenger train.
The Pakistani military assumed that by utilizing the internal infrastructure of the Cantonment, it could protect its movements from armed freedom fighters.
Alongside this covert travel arrangement, the Pakistani military has started construction of a high security wall on both sides of the entire track stretching from the Cantonment to the railway station to insulate the route of this military shuttle train from external threats and ground access.
Furthermore, to secure the departure of this shuttle train, the military’s QRF (Quick Response Force) and foot patrols are deployed daily as a security cordon.
All these measures demonstrated that the terrified occupying military has shifted to a defensive posture in Balochistan.
Protocol Breached:
This elaborate protocol of the Pakistani military was breached by the BLA which conducted the operation in a meticulous manner.
This operation reflects the intelligence superiority of the BLA, proving that ZIRAB, the intelligence wing of BLA, has achieved deep access within the most secure military zones and decision-making institutions of the occupying military.
The operation was designed with such meticulous precision in terms of military science and timing that if there had been a variance of even five minutes earlier or later in its planning and execution, targeting the enemy forces would have been impossible.
ZIRAB conducted extensive reconnaissance of the enemy’s altered security network, timing schedules, and covert internal communications over a long period.
Based on this precise intelligence provided by ZIRAB, BLA suicide bomber (Fidayeen Commander) Bilal Shahwani alias Saeen successfully crossed all military and security cordons.
At around 8:00 AM on Sunday (May 24), as this specific military train crossed Koila Phatak and reached Chaman Phatak, Shahwani carried out a powerful suicide strike, completely shattering the enemy’s claims of security superiority.
A total of 336 personnel of the occupying army were aboard the train, and the attack instantly neutralized the defensive capabilities of the 74-heavily armed personnel within the ranks, rendering their 7,320 live rounds and all other military hardware useless within seconds.
Lies Spread by Pakistani Military:
BLA, which owned responsibility for the attack, said the occupying Pakistani State media and its official spokespersons are attempting to misrepresent the casualties of their uniformed personnel as civilian deaths to build a false narrative of victimhood before the world.
“To conceal this humiliating intelligence failure, cowardice, and the shock of its fortified Cantonment security perimeter being breached, the Pakistani army is once again resorting to its traditional lies and distorted propaganda,” said BLA spokesman Jeeyand Baloch in a statement.
“The BLA completely rejects this fabricated narrative with full political and moral force,” he said.
“It is an undeniable fact that the targeted train was not a regular passenger train but a specific military shuttle dedicated solely to transporting military personnel from the restricted zone of the Cantonment, an area where entry for any civilian is strictly prohibited, let alone approaching the track itself.
“The state’s attempt to credit its actual military losses to the account of ordinary civilians is clear evidence that the occupying army has entirely lost the military and psychological nerve to face the Baloch Sarmachars and is forced to distort facts to salvage its collapsing morale,” the BLA spokesman said.
He underlined that BLA is “an organized, conscious, and legitimate national army adhering to the principles of international laws of war” and that “It considers attacks on civilians or non-combatants morally and organizationally against its policy.”
Jeeyand Baloch said the BLA’s “objective is not indiscriminate adventurism, but a responsible and principled war for the liberation of our homeland.
“Our military targets are clearly defined and politically legitimate, encompassing solely the occupying military, its subsidiary institutions, the oppressive colonial administration, local traitors belonging to “death squads”, and exploitative projects plundering Baloch resources.
“This is precisely why a Sunday morning was deliberately selected for this far-reaching operation, ensuring that the likelihood of civilian movement at that hour would be minimal.”
Suicide Attacker:
The spokesman said the suicide bomber Bilal Shahwani was “an active, experienced field commander of the Baloch Liberation Army who volunteered for a fidayeen (suicide) mission, showing BLA’s institutional evolution and ideological superiority.
“This choice demonstrates that the Baloch national resistance has advanced far beyond traditional guerrilla methods into a modern, scientific, and formal military structure where organizational commanders prioritize collective national objectives over individual material roles and life itself,” Jeeyand Baloch said.
“Bilal Shahwani’s action will be preserved in history as a universal principle of the political and military struggle of oppressed people, proving that the modern material network of an occupying state can only be countered through a sustainable balance of deep ideological discipline, intelligence access, eternal sacrifice, and strategic resolve.
“At the age of 25, having long held military command on the fronts of Dasht and Kombela, and having led vanguard detachments in challenging battlegrounds like Kalat and Shal’s Red Zone during Operations Herof 1 and 2, his final choice of a fidayee mission has provided enduring ideological vitality to the movement,” the spokesman said.
Historic Battle:
Jeeyand Baloch described the attack as a “successful and historic battle” by the BLA, which “has made it abundantly clear that the occupying state of Pakistan, no matter how high it raises walls or alters security protocols on Baloch soil, cannot hinder the resolve of the Baloch national army.”
He said the BLA pays tribute to Bilal Shahwani alias Saeen “for this historic success and for holding the nation’s head high with pride”.
“Our organized, principled, and ideological war will continue with full intensity until the establishment of complete Baloch sovereignty and final independence on Baloch soil,” the BLA spokesman declared. (NVI)
