Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Pakistani security forces have been locked in a deadly standoff with armed militants for more than a day after the attackers seized a passenger train on Tuesday and held hundreds hostage.The Baloch Liberation Army, or B.L.A., a banned separatist group, seized the train, which was carrying more than 400 people, in a remote mountainous area in the country’s southwest.The group claimed to be holding at least 214 people, including military personnel and civilian law enforcement officers. State news media, citing security authorities, said that more than 190 hostages had been rescued.The minister of state for interior, Muhammad Tallal Chaudry, said on the television station Geo News that suicide bombers had positioned themselves among the remaining hostages, and that the attackers were using women and children as shields.The B.L.A. demanded on Tuesday that the government release its imprisoned members within 48 hours, threatening to execute the hostages if the demand was not met. On Wednesday, the group said that if prisoners were not freed, it would kill five hostages for every hour that passed after the ultimatum expired.Pakistani officials said that at least 30 militants had been killed in the continuing rescue operation, and that hostages were being held at three separate locations. Mr. Chaudhry said that about 70 to 80 militants had been involved in the attack. Among the hostages who have been rescued, it was unclear whether they were freed as a result of military action or were released by the militants.Mr. Chaudhry said that other hostages had been taken into nearby mountains.Independent verification of events remains difficult because the hijacking took place in an isolated region with practically no cell or internet connectivity, restricting the reach of journalists. So far, information has come solely from security officials and the B.L.A. The Pakistani military, which is mainly conducting the rescue operation, has not issued an official statement.The train was traveling from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, to Peshawar. It became stranded inside a tunnel about 100 miles from Quetta as it came under attack and the conductor was killed, according to the authorities.After the capture of the train, Pakistan Railways announced that it would temporarily suspend train operations in Quetta and that they would resume only after security agencies had inspected and confirmed the system’s safety.Muhammad Ashraf was among a group of 80 passengers who were freed last night and said he reached a nearby railway station after walking for hours along the tracks.“When the train was attacked, everyone threw themselves to the floor, using luggage and sacks to shield themselves from the bullets,” Mr. Ashraf said by phone after reaching Quetta. “Screams were echoing everywhere.”The militants took all of the passengers hostage but later released parties traveling with women and children, he said.Balochistan, a large and sparsely populated province that borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been plagued by separatist violence and insurgent activity. The province is also home to major China-led projects, including a strategic port.Ethnic separatist groups have regained momentum, increasingly attacking security forces and Chinese citizens involved in projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s infrastructure investment program. The separatists accuse Pakistan’s government of allowing China to extract the region’s wealth.The Baloch ethnic group has long sought a separate homeland, arguing that its people have been left behind economically and that they would find greater prosperity with more political control.Experts say that separatist groups have become increasingly emboldened and sophisticated in their operations, now incorporating tactics such as suicide bombings — an approach that was previously associated primarily with Islamist militants operating in northwestern Pakistan and Afghanistan.“The ability of the B.L.A. to hijack a train with such precision suggests an advanced intelligence-gathering network and strategic planning,” said Dost Muhammad Barrech, an academic at the University of Balochistan in Quetta.Just last week, an alliance of separatist groups, including the B.L.A., announced plans to intensify attacks on Pakistani security forces, infrastructure and Chinese interests in the region.
