Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Balochistan has been the scene of a yearslong insurgency, with a surge in attacks in recent years. But the hijacking of a passenger train this week was the first time the outlawed Baluch Liberation Army carried out such a large-scale operation, taking hundreds of people hostage and battling Pakistani security forces to a standoff on Wednesday. The BLA seeks to establish an independent Baloch state, encompassing territories in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan where the Baloch ethnic group lives. Islamabad says the BLA is getting support from neighboring India, which New Delhi denies. Pakistan's government also says the BLA is cooperating with the country's top militant group, the Pakistani Taliban.
