The train hijacking in south-western Pakistan represents a major escalation in the region’s long-running insurgency.

The BLA is one of the largest militant outfits demanding independence for Balochistan. It is designated as a terrorist group by Pakistan as well as the US.

In Pakistan's Balochistan province, armed militants hijacked a passenger train, killing three people and taking over 450 hostages. Security forces responded swiftly, rescuing more than 150 passengers and killing 27 militants.

Mehboob Hussain was riding the train home on Tuesday when the tracks under the front car exploded. In the depths of central Pakistan's Bolan Pass, a pocket of wilderness so remote that there is no internet or mobile network coverage, the nine-coach Jaffar Express ground to a halt. Then the bullets started flying.

Militants in Balochistan, spearheaded by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have claimed the execution of 50 hostages following a train hijacking involving over 400 passengers. The incident escalated with explosive attacks on railway tracks,

The Baloch Liberation Army, a militant group seeking secession of the province from Pakistan, had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan's military spokesman said on Friday the death toll in a train hijacking in the country's southwestern mountains had risen to 31 and he repeated accusations that neighbouring India and Afghanistan backed the militants who carried it out.

Hostages freed after a day-long ordeal following a BLA militant attack on a Pakistan train recalled crouching on the floor for hours before their release.