ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Friday that the death toll from a train hijacking in the southwestern region climbed to 30 as it accused India and Afghanistan of supporting militants responsible for the attack.

Militants loyal to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) blew up a railway track and hijacked a train Tuesday in the remote Bolan region of Balochistan province. About 440 passengers were on board.

Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, the head of the army's information wing, said at least 26 passengers and four security personnel were killed during operations, in which all 33 suspected militants were eliminated.

Sharif noted that of the 26 passengers killed, 18 were security personnel, and the death toll could rise as many passengers sustained injuries in the attack.

He accused India of sponsoring terrorism in Balochistan, describing the attack on the Jaffar Express as part of a broader strategy.

“The incident of Jaffar Express is continuity of the same policy, the same sponsorship from where it was engineered and from where it was being pushed,” he said, referring to India.

He also criticized Indian media for spreading misinformation through artificial intelligence-generated videos.

“Indian media spread propaganda by using fake videos to exaggerate the situation,” he said.

Sharif further accused Afghanistan of allowing its soil to be used for launching terror attacks.

“Terrorist commanders were released from Afghan jails,” he said. “We have credible intelligence confirming that the networks orchestrating these attacks are operating from across the border in Afghanistan.”

“The entire chain of events points towards external involvement, specifically from elements based in Afghanistan,” he added. — Agencies