The Verdict [Misleading]
These visuals are old and predate the March 11, 2025, train hijacking in Pakistan, with the earliest dating back to April 2022 and December 2024.
What is the claim?
On March 11, 2025, a train traveling from Quetta in Balochistan to Peshawar in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was hijacked by separatists belonging to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). According to a Reuters report, about 50 insurgents blew up a railway track and fired rockets at the Jaffar Express, forcing it to stop in a remote mountainous area and taking several passengers hostage. The government said it has rescued 155 of the 400 passengers aboard, while reports indicate that 27 militants have been killed in the ongoing rescue operation.
Soon after, visuals claiming to show the incident went viral on social media. One widely shared video showed a train on fire with smoke billowing from its carriages as it passed through a mountainous region. Social media users claimed it depicted the hijacking of the Jaffar Express. “Pakistan: The Baloch Liberation Army hijacked a train and took 120 passengers hostage,” read a post (archived here) by Mr. Sinha, an account known for spreading misinformation. Archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here, and here.
Another video showing a long line of people walking up a hill was also circulated with claims that it showed hostages taken by the BLA. “Breaking news: These are the hostages that the BLA took with them,” read one post on X (archived here). Archived versions of similar posts can be seen here, here, here, and here.
However, we found that these visuals are old and predate the March 11, 2025, train hijacking in Pakistan.
What are the facts?
Video of train on fire
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video showing flames and smoke led us to an X post from April 15, 2022, featuring the same footage (archived here). The caption claimed that the video showed a BLA attack on a train carrying Pakistani soldiers.
On September 12, 2022, News9 Plus posted the same video on X, writing (archived here): “#Pakistan has been ruling #Balochistan, its largest province, with an iron fist. Its high-handed policies have triggered violent resistance in the region.” At the 0:05 mark, the train on fire can be seen. Indian journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, who covered the story, also posted a clarification on March 11, 2025, stating that the video was old and dated back to 2022 (archived here).
Further examination of the comments on the April 2022 X post revealed that a user suggested the video might be from January 2022. Following this lead, we conducted a keyword search and found a news report from January 18, 2022, stating that BLA militants had bombed a train carrying Pakistani Army personnel. The attack left several dead and injured, derailing four carriages. Another report from Pakistan Today, published on the same date, mentioned an attack on the Rawalpindi-bound Jaffar Express, which was carrying passengers from Quetta.
While Logically Facts could not independently verify the exact incident in the video, its earliest confirmed appearance dates back to at least April 15, 2022. This confirms that it is unrelated to the March 11, 2025, train hijacking.
Video of people walking up a hill
A reverse image search of the second video led us to a December 11, 2024, post by KDR News on X. The caption, written in Pashto, stated: “According to reports, hundreds of #TTP have entered the Lakki Marwat, Tang, and Kalachi areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa… (archived here).”
The same video was posted on Instagram and Facebook in December 2024, with claims that it showed an incident in Parachinar, Pakistan. An Instagram user wrote (archived here): “Parachinar. Tafiri terror in thousands and the enemy of the country Taliban once again left for Parachinar.” A Facebook post read (archived here): “#parachinar#kurrum.”
The mention of “TTP” in the post likely refers to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an alliance of formerly disparate militant groups formed in 2007.
Logically Facts could not independently verify the exact context of the footage. However, since the video was available online before the train hijacking, it is unrelated to the March 11, 2025, incident.
The verdict
The viral videos claiming to show the BLA hijacking a train in Pakistan and hostages being taken are old and unrelated to the March 11, 2025, incident. The train fire video dates back to at least April 2022, while the footage of people walking up a hill was posted online in December 2024.
This article is written by Ishita Goel and republished from Logically Facts. Read the original article here.
Reference Links
Aditya Raj Kaul – Refutes
News9Plus – Refutes
Ninjamonkey – Refutes
KDR News – Refutes
Forever Footwears – Refutes
Lkr Points – Refutes
Baloch freedom fighters bomb Pakistani train carrying soldiers, many killed or hurt – News Vibes of India – Neutral
At least five injured as IED blast hits Jaffer Express near Balochistan’s Bolan – Pakistan Today – Neutral
Deadly Pakistan train hijack: What happened, who was rescued, what’s next? – Al Jazeera – Neutral
Pakistan train hijack: Suicide bombers complicate rescue operation, sources say – Reuters – Neutral
Pakistan Train Attack LIVE Updates: 27 militants killed, 155 passengers rescued after attack on Jaffar Express in Balochistan – Indian Express – Neutral
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