India has firmly rejected Pakistan's allegations of its involvement in the recent Jaffar Express train siege in Balochistan, labelling the claims as baseless and an attempt to deflect attention from Pakistan's internal issues. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Rahdnir Jaiswal, emphasised that the international community is well aware of Pakistan being the "epicentre of global terrorism" and urged Islamabad to introspect rather than shift blame for its domestic failures.

"India has been involved in terrorism in Pakistan. In the particular attack on Jaffar express, the terrorists had been in contact with their handlers and ring leaders in Afghanistan," Shafqat Ali Khan said during his weekly press briefing.

This response follows Pakistan's accusations that the attackers, linked to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), were in contact with handlers based in Afghanistan. While Pakistan has historically accused India of supporting separatist groups like the BLA, it did not directly implicate

India in this incident but reiterated broader allegations of Indian involvement in destabilizing activities.

The recent hijacking of the Jaffar Express by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has led to conflicting claims about the outcome of the operation. Pakistan's security forces announced that they had successfully concluded the operation by killing all 33 BLA militants involved in the hijacking, which occurred on a train carrying over 400 passengers from Quetta to Peshawar.

However, the BLA has vehemently denied these claims, stating that the battle is still ongoing across multiple fronts and that the Pakistani military has neither achieved victory nor rescued its personnel.

Jeeyand Baloch, the spokesperson for the BLA, accused the Pakistani state of abandoning its soldiers, leaving them to die as hostages. The BLA also claimed that the hostages allegedly rescued by Pakistani forces were actually released by the BLA itself, in accordance with its war ethics and international norms.

The group proposed a prisoner exchange but stated that Pakistan refused to negotiate, leading to the current stand-off.

The lack of visual evidence from the Pakistani military to support their claims has raised scepticism about the true outcome of the operation. Meanwhile, the BLA's assertions highlight the ongoing tensions and conflict in Balochistan, where the group is fighting for independence from Pakistan.

The incident has also led to accusations from Pakistan that India might be involved, which India has strongly denied3.

The attack on the Jaffar Express, which resulted in 21 deaths and a prolonged hostage crisis, was claimed by the BLA, a separatist group seeking independence for Balochistan. India’s rebuttal underscores its longstanding position of calling out Pakistan for harbouring and supporting terrorist networks that destabilize the region.

ANI