According to Pakistan’s military, security forces have freed the hostages, but 21 train passengers were killed along with four soldiers and 33 hijackers. However, as of yesterday, the BLA claims it is still active on the train and continues to hold over 100 hostages.

The Pakistan Army’s special forces soldiers in a drill conducting jointly with the Russian special forces in 2016. (Caption, photo by Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52068269)

This attack is just the latest in a string of violent incidents in Balochistan, a region where the BLA has been fighting for autonomy.

Nehemiah with FMI points out this attack also highlights growing extremism in the country. According to the new Global Terrorism Index 2025, he says, “Pakistan is now ranked as the second most terrorism affected country in the world, right after Burkina Faso and before Syria, alarmingly terrorism-related deaths in Pakistan rose by 45% in 2024 alone.”

While the BLA mainly targets government forces and infrastructure, their actions also make life even more dangerous for Christians and other religious minorities who already face discrimination and persecution.

“It’s a fearful situation when these partners go in these areas and try to share the Word of God. You never know who is your enemy and who is your friend, especially in this hostile situation where terrorists are everywhere,” Nehemiah explains.

“Sadly, in Balochistan and KPK, which is a border region of Afghanistan and Iran, many cities control have been taken over by Taliban or ISIS or BLA…. So different aspects are now in Pakistan. They are [attacking] the military, mosques, and of course they are targeting Christians or minorities in Pakistan as well.”

Amazingly, Pakistani Christians are praying for terrorists, that they would know and turn to Jesus! Please pray with them.

Nehemiah says, “I was talking to a brother a few days ago, and I was like, ‘How can we pray for you?’ And he said, ‘Please pray for terrorists who are killing them and killing other Pakistanis. Please pray for them that they know the light of the message and the light of hope, which is Jesus Christ.'”

Learn more about FMI’s ministry in Pakistan.

Header photo: Pakistan flag (Photo courtesy of Abuzar Xheikh/Unsplash)

FMI’s Nehemiah says, “Balochistan is the bleeding wound and burning land of Pakistan.”

Violence has risen in the border region since the Afghan Taliban came to power three years ago. Attacks numbered over 650 last year, with 23 percent occurring in Balochistan.

“These attacks cause the loss of innocent lives, widespread destruction of infrastructure, and severe disruption of daily life,” Nehemiah says.

The internment center decision follows a series of attacks that killed 74 people in Balochistan in late August. Gunmen shot at least 23 people after pulling them from their vehicles and identifying them as Punjabi citizens.

“The group’s ability to orchestrate such a complex attack raises significant concerns about the effectiveness of Pakistani intelligence,” Nehemiah says.

“These attacks across multiple locations point to meticulous planning and substantial resources.”

Gospel work continues despite the latest uptick in risk.

“Believers and the ministry partners FMI has are doing a remarkable job. Even in this difficult situation, recently, FMI distributed 50 (Bible) stories translated into their language,” Nehemiah says.

Now that you know, how will you respond? Connect with FMI here for tangible ways to help. Most importantly, pray. “Please pray for the church planters in Balochistan; ask God to give them strength, courage, and wisdom as they lead their congregation through challenging times,” Nehemiah requests.

“Pray that they would be filled with the Holy Spirit, preaching the Gospel boldly, and offering hope and encouragement to those in need.”

Header image is a representative stock photo of the Pakistan flag. (Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

The bombings in Quetta, the capital city of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, were claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — an ethnic separatist insurgency group.

BLA wants Balochistan to be independent and often resorts to violent tactics. The U.S. State Department has designated BLA as a terrorist organization.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by land mass, taking up nearly 44% of the territory. However, it’s also the most sparsely populated with roughly 18 million people out of Pakistan’s 234 million population.

Nehemiah with FMI says, “This region of Pakistan shares two borders with Iran and Afghanistan. This is the ‘wild, wild West’ in Pakistan — one of the most difficult and dangerous places on the planet. The U.S. government and other international organizations, they have already warned their citizens not to travel to this part of Pakistan because several terrorist organizations operate there.

Child in Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of Muhammad Muzamil via Unsplash)

“The TTP is there which is Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Then there is ISIS which they are very, very active in this part of Pakistan. And then we have two different regional terrorist organizations — that is BLF and BLA. So when I say BLF, that is Balochistan Liberation Force, and BLA is Balochistan Liberation Army.

“Most of time, these terrorist organizations attack army personnel, they attack police, security agencies, [and] they attack civilians. So it happens all the time.”

Balochistan is also 99.8% Muslim, with almost no Christian presence.

Almost.

FMI supports Christian partners and church planters throughout Pakistan, including the volatile region of Balochistan.

“Our partners are still struggling and trying to survive in this difficult situation. This is the place where we call walking on the edge. It’s a very difficult place to live, but praise God that God has given that burden to FMI partners and church planters…who are willing to serve in this region of Pakistan,” says Nehemiah.

“If you talk to any family in Balochistan, everyone has someone who died in the family or someone is a missing person. Someone left the house and never came back for years. So I can see that when we talk to people who are not believers, who are not Christian, they have pain and agony — not only for the state of Pakistan, but they wonder what kind of mission is this. That makes them more searching for truth.

(Photo courtesy of FMI)

“That is the great opportunity for the Christian organizations because…we can explain who is the real Prince of Peace and we can introduce Jesus Christ.”

Pray for believers in Balochistan to be spiritually encouraged and practice discernment as they share the Gospel with their Muslim neighbors.

Also, Nehemiah asks, “Please particularly pray for Balochistan and the people there who live there in this very difficult situation that God may open many doors [and] that many people may know Jesus Christ as their Savior.”

Header photo courtesy of Abuzar Xheikh via Unsplash.

The U.N. says 95,000 homes have been destroyed. In Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, 15 inches of rain in a few hours overwhelmed the streets.

Greg Kelley with World Mission says, “People that we’re working with, and our partners on the ground, are telling me about 40 continuous days of rain. It’s just destroying roads and livestock. Fields and farms are literally washed away. When that is someone’s entire source of substance, either raising their animals or farming, it’s devastating.”

“This year has been uniquely devastating in Pakistan.”

One World Mission Pastor lost both his house and his livestock. People urgently need medical supplies and shelter.

Ministering to those in need

World Mission partners are working to provide these things to those in need. Kelley says, “Many Muslim people would give no time of day to Christianity. Now all of a sudden, because of the horrors they’ve experienced, Christians have a great opportunity. So that’s what our partners are doing on the ground. They’re loving these people in Jesus’ name. They’re distributing our solar-powered Audio Bible in their native language.”

Pakistani society does not think well of Christianity, often seeing it as a Western threat. Kelley says this is an opportunity to show something different. “Some of the things that they’re being told goes out the window when they see someone coming to them saying, ‘We care for your family. Here is a blanket, here’s a tarp, here’s a tent.”

As a result, many people are coming to know Jesus.

You can support World Mission’s work in Pakistan.

The header shows people in Pakistan with aid from World Mission after the flooding. (Photo courtesy of World Mission on Facebook) 

The bomb killed the woman, Shari Baloch, as well as four passengers, three of which were Chinese citizens. She is the first female suicide bomber for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

The BLA said the attack was meant to target a “symbol of Chinese economic, political, and cultural expansionism.” The group warned China to halt “exploitation projects” in Pakistan.

Shari Baloch

Nehemiah with FMI says, “Shari was married to a doctor and had two young children. She was a teacher by profession and had a master’s of philosophy. She wanted to study and pursue her career in zoology.  She migrated from Balochistan to Karachi just a few months ago.”

Why would an educated, successful woman do this?

The people of Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, live in poverty. Many want to become an independent country, saying the Pakistani government, and China, exploit their land. Nehemiah says, “There are many, many places where there’s no electricity, no basic needs of life. People are feeling that no one cares about them.”

“Even people who are getting higher education, they think that people from other provinces are taking all the resources and stealing the jobs.”

Shari hoped her actions would draw attention to this situation. Take the opportunity to ask God to move in Balochistan for peace and wholeness.

Nehemiah says FMI partners are in Balochistan sharing Jesus’ love. But the violence makes it difficult to travel there from other regions in Pakistan. “It’s almost a no-go zone.”

The header photo shows the minibus after the explosion. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

Nehemiah with FMI talks about the BLA. “This terrorist organization has nothing to do with Islamic ideology. They are Muslim terrorists, but they really just want to control their own land. They want to separate from Pakistan. And they want to establish Islamic law in this region, which they are calling Great Balochistan.”

Motivations

Nehemiah says the BLA doesn’t want cooperation between the Chinese government and Pakistan. They believe the Pakistani government is exploiting Balochistan to further its relationship with China.

The BLA emerged in the summer of 2000 when it carried out bombings against civilians. But the attacks against Chinese infrastructure projects are the largest they have carried out in years.

Nehemiah says, “This area, the whole region, is almost a no-go area. If you want to go there, you need very special permission from Pakistan authorities. And the reason that people do not go there is because of these insurgents and their targets and these killings.”

Danger to Christians

The BLA specifically targets foreigners or minorities. Nehemiah says they have attacked churches, as well as Shia Muslim and Hindu groups.

Ask God to protect FMI partners working in the region. Pray many people in Balochistan will embrace Jesus. Nehemiah says, ‘We have partners there who are serving and helping people to know about Jesus Christ. They’re trying to take the Word of God to these mountains.”

“We were there a few months ago, and we witnessed that serving in this region is extremely difficult.”

The header photo shows the flag of the BLA. (Photo courtesy of HapHaxion, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)