Hostages freed after a day-long ordeal following a BLA militant attack on a Pakistan train recalled crouching on the floor for hours before their release.

The train hijacking in south-western Pakistan represents a major escalation in the region’s long-running insurgency.

The death toll from a militant hijacking of a train in Pakistan's southwestern mountains has risen to 31 soldiers, staff and civilians, the military said on Friday as it accused India and Afghanistan of backing the insurgents.

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s neglected southwestern province of Balochistan has been the scene of a yearslong insurgency, with a dramatic uptick in attacks in recent years underscoring the struggles the government in Islamabad faces in dealing with myriad security threats.

Pakistani officials say insurgents who attacked a passenger train carrying 440 people in the southwest killed 21 hostages but security forces rescued the others.

Pakistan’s military accuses neighboring India of sponsoring militants in the restive southwestern Balochistan province, which saw an unprecedented attack this week by armed separatists.

Train hijackers in Pakistan’s Balochistan province killed a total of 31 security personnel and civilians before they were neutralised, according to Pakistan Army

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan military and Balochistan provincial leadership on Friday accused India of orchestrating terrorism in the restive southwestern province, a day after the PM Shehbaz Sharif-led govt levelled similar allegations against New Delhi.