The Jaffar Express attack by the Balochistan Liberation Army left dozens dead and triggered a 30-hour military operation. Eyewitnesses described intense gunfire as insurgents engaged security forces on the train.

It was a story that made international headlines. On March 11 while the Jaffar Express, a train that travels once a week from Quetta to Peshawar, was moving through the rugged mountains of Balochistan,

The hijacking of the Jaffar Express signals that the conflict in Balochistan is reaching a dangerous new phase.