The Baloch Liberation Army said on Sunday that the attacker who carried out a deadly blast targeting a shuttle train in Quetta was Bilal Shahwani, also known as Saahin, a member of its Majeed Brigade and an organisational commander.
The group had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack near Chaman Phatak, where sources said at least 27 people were killed and 70 others injured when an explosion hit a train carrying military personnel and their families from Quetta’s cantonment area.
The blast derailed the engine and three coaches, while two coaches overturned, according to Pakistan’s railways ministry. Rescue operations were launched after security forces cordoned off the area.
Sources said 336 military personnel were on board the train, including 11 JCOs, 165 army personnel, 109 recruits, 14 NCBs/SW staff and 37 AFMs. The train was also carrying 74 weapons and 7,320 rounds of ammunition.
In its latest statement, the BLA said the attack was carried out by the Majeed Brigade, its “fidayee” unit, and targeted what it described as a military shuttle train transporting Pakistani army personnel from Quetta Cantonment to the Jaffar Express.
The group identified Shahwani as a 25-year-old resident of Killi Sarde in Sariab, Quetta, and the son of Chief Abdul Ghani Shahwani. It said he joined the Baloch armed movement in 2020 and was inducted into the Majeed Brigade in 2022 at his own request.
According to the BLA, Shahwani had remained active on the Nagaho, Dasht Kambela, Quetta and Kalat fronts and had risen to command because of what the group described as his military performance and organisational discipline.
The group said Shahwani had directly commanded major attacks and guerrilla operations across the Dasht Kambela front during the past six months. It also said he led vanguard units on the Kalat front during “Operation Herof 1” and commanded “fidayee” units in Quetta’s Red Zone during “Operation Herof 2”.
“The successful targeting this morning of the occupying forces’ personnel, exactly at the moment of their clandestine transfer from Quetta Cantonment to the Jaffar Express via the shuttle train, is a clear testament to the deep penetration of BLA’s intelligence wing, ZIRAB, and the combat expertise of Commander Bilal Shahwani,” the statement said.
The BLA said an active field commander carrying out a “fidayee” mission reflected what it called the group’s “institutional evolution and ideological superiority”.
It said the attack showed that the BLA had moved beyond traditional guerrilla methods into what it described as a “modern military structure”, where commanders prioritised collective goals over individual roles.
The group said a detailed report on the casualties and material losses caused by the attack would be issued later.