The death toll from a militant hijacking of a train in Pakistan's southwestern mountains has risen to 31 soldiers, staff and civilians, the military said on Friday as it accused India and Afghanistan of backing the insurgents.

A group of militants seized a Peshawar-bound train, igniting a 36-hour hostage crisis, but this attack is part of a decades-long insurgency rooted in the Baloch separatist groups' violent struggle for an independent state.

Pakistan’s prime minister has commended the country’s armed forces for successfully rescuing 339 passengers after a deadly train hijacking by insurgents in the southwest

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

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the execution of 214 hostages after Pakistan refused to negotiate a prisoner exchange. The mass execution included only Pakistan security personnel,

The BLA said they gave the Pakistan Army 48 hours to exchange prisoners of war, but since they did not heed their warning, they killed the hostages