Mainstream news outlets ABP News and Dainik Jagran, along with several social media users, reported an old video as recent visuals of the siege of Jaffar Express in Pakistan's Balochistan Province by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
BOOM found that the footage dates back to January 2022, and shows a similar attack carried out by the BLA in the Mashkaf area of Balochistan’s Bolan district.
Om March 11, 2025, the BLA launched a deadly attack on the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express, seizing hundreds of hostages. According to Reuters, which cited a rescued hostage, the attackers used rocket launchers, guns, and other weapons. Pakistani security forces later killed all 33 assailants, bringing an end to the day-long standoff and rescuing dozens of hostages.
ABP News presented the viral video as the recent BLA attack on the Jaffar Express, claiming it was newly released by the rebel group.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Dainik Jagran also featured the same video in its report, falsely linking it to the recent train hijacking.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse image search on the video and found a Reddit post from April 15, 2022, featuring the same footage. The post claimed the video depicted a remote-controlled IED attack by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which derailed the Jaffar Express carrying Pakistan Army personnel in Mushkaf, an area between Bolan and Sibi districts in Balochistan.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
We then ran a keyword search to find news reports supporting the claim and found that the website Funker530 had shared the same video, stating that the BLA attack occurred on January 18, 2022. Pakistani news outlet Dawn also published a report about the attack on January 18, 2022.
The report states, "At least five people were injured in an explosion near a railway track in the Mashkaf area of Balochistan’s Bolan district on Tuesday, a senior official of Pakistan Railways said. Muhammad Kashif from railways told Dawn.com that the blast occurred when Rawalpindi-bound Jaffer Express was passing by the area. The train was coming from Quetta."
Kashif also mentioned that the blast caused the train to derail from the track, reported Dawn.
