Baloch rebels execute 50 more hostages, over 100 Pakistani soldiers killed

New Delhi: The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist rebel group designated as a terrorist organisation by Pakistan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, has claimed responsibility for executing 50 Pakistani hostages in Balochistan on March 12, 2025. 

The executions, detailed in a press release shared on social media platform X by user @bahot_baluch, were described as a "decisive response" to what the BLA termed "persistent aggression" by Pakistani military forces.

According to the BLA’s statement, issued by spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, the hostages—identified as military and security personnel—were executed within the past hour following an armed advance by Pakistani forces in Balochistan’s Kacchi region. 

The BLA alleged that its fighters repelled the military offensive, which involved heavy artillery and sophisticated weaponry, forcing a retreat. However, the group reported that three of its members were killed during the clashes, which it described as part of Balochistan’s national struggle for liberation.

The executions are part of a broader wave of violence linked to the BLA’s insurgency, including a recent attack on the Jaffar Express train in Kacchi, Balochistan, on March 11, 2025. The group hijacked the train, taking 214 passengers hostage, including military and security personnel, after blowing up the tracks and opening fire. 

The BLA has demanded a prisoner exchange, threatening to execute all remaining hostages unless Pakistan releases Baloch political prisoners and activists, setting a 48-hour deadline.

In its press release, the BLA accused the Pakistani military of war crimes, ethnic cleansing, enforced disappearances, resource exploitation, and state terrorism in Balochistan, claiming the executed hostages were convicted by a "Baloch National Court" for these offenses. 

The group warned it holds approximately 150 additional hostages and will execute them immediately if Pakistan’s military initiates further aggression, giving the government a 20-hour ultimatum to engage in serious negotiations.

The BLA’s statement also detailed additional casualties, claiming that in response to a Pakistani drone strike the previous night, 10 enemy personnel were executed. 

Furthermore, the group reported that in clashes on March 12, 2025, another 10 Pakistani soldiers were "eliminated," while 30 were killed in combat the previous day. 

According to the BLA, these actions bring the total number of "eliminated enemy personnel" to over 100, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing conflict.

Pakistan’s military has been conducting counterinsurgency operations in Balochistan for decades, targeting the BLA and other separatist groups amid a long-standing insurgency for Baloch independence. 

The province, rich in natural gas and minerals, has been a focal point of tension due to allegations of resource exploitation and marginalization of the Baloch population by the federal government. 

Recent reports indicate Pakistani forces have used drone strikes and artillery shelling to target BLA hideouts, escalating the conflict.

The insurgency in Balochistan, ongoing since 2000, has resulted in thousands of deaths, including civilians, security personnel, and militants. Human rights organizations have accused both the Pakistani state and Baloch separatist groups, including the BLA, of abuses such as extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. 

The BLA, allegedly operating primarily from safe havens in Afghanistan, has been linked to numerous attacks on Pakistani military, police, journalists, and civilians, as well as infrastructure projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).