There was no official word on how many people remained in the captivity of the militants.

How separatist militants hijacked the train

The group shared a message from one of its fighters on the train calling on people in Balochistan to join their fight against the Pakistani state.

Pakistani forces have rescued 155 passengers from the Jaffar Express. Source: EPA / Fayyaz Ahmed

“Comrades are shedding their blood for you, for this motherland,” the man said in the message, posted on Telegram.

BLA militants with bombs strapped to their bodies were sitting next to other passengers, the source said.

Soldiers and police have been deployed at a railway station near where a train was hijacked. Source: AP / AP

BLA is the largest of several ethnic armed groups battling Pakistan’s government in the mineral-rich province of Balochistan, bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

Buledi told reporters the government was working to improve the security situation in the region.