KARACHI – Law enforcement agencies on Monday foiled a suicide attack plan by rescuing a minor Baloch girl who was allegedly being groomed by banned militant outfits including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) to be used as a suicide bomber.
The development was disclosed during a press conference addressed by Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar along with Additional Inspector General of Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Sindh Azad Khan and Additional IG Karachi Javed Alam Odho.
During the press briefing, the audio statements of the affected girl and her mother were also played before the media while keeping their identities completely confidential for security reasons.
Briefing the media, the Sindh home minister said the rescued girl belongs to Balochistan and is a student of an ordinary school. He said the girl’s father had passed away and her family continues to receive a pension from the government of Pakistan. He added that one of her brothers serves in the police, while another is employed in a civilian institution.
Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar said timely and effective action by law enforcement agencies saved Karachi from a major tragedy. “Terrorists are now targeting our children, using social media as a weapon,” he warned, adding that the state would fully protect the dignity, safety and future of the rescued girl.
Additional IG CTD Sindh Azad Khan said a serious conspiracy by a banned terrorist network had been neutralised. He disclosed that the minor girl was taken into protective custody during a highly sensitive, intelligence-based operation conducted on the night of December 25.
He said investigations revealed that the girl had been gradually radicalised through extremist and hate-filled content on social media. Terrorist handlers exploited her habit of secretly using a mobile phone without her mother’s knowledge to influence her mindset.
According to the CTD, the girl was exposed to anti-Pakistan and foreign-backed propaganda. A handler initially contacted her under the pretext of sympathy and assistance and later began encouraging her to carry out a suicide attack. She was sent to Karachi after misleading her family, but heightened security checks at police pickets prevented the handler from reaching the intended location, leading to the exposure of the plot.
Azad Khan said during debriefing, the girl provided complete details about the network and its modus operandi. Owing to her age, her family was immediately called to Karachi, and the girl was handed over to them with full dignity and protection. Investigations are ongoing, he added.
In her recorded statement, the girl said she was repeatedly exposed to extremist content on social media, including speeches and links, which gradually began to appear convincing. She said the handler took advantage of the fact that her father had passed away and lured her further under the guise of sympathy. She said BLA activities were glorified in WhatsApp groups as acts of bravery, which later proved to be deception.
The girl said her studies were affected and she was made to believe that sacrificing one’s life was the ultimate goal. “Today I realise the destruction I was heading towards,” she said, adding that she became extremely nervous when questioned at a security checkpoint. She stressed that Baloch traditions teach respect for women and that sacrificing women and children in the name of militancy has nothing to do with Baloch identity.
The girl warned that those who recruit people in the name of sacrifice are predators, not helpers. “Anyone who tells you to give your life for a so-called greater cause is your enemy,” she said.
Her mother said the family decided to speak out in the public interest so that no other girl falls into such a trap. She added that the state saved not only her daughter’s life but also fully protected her honour.
The Additional IG CTD urged social media platforms to enforce strict checks against extremist and terrorist content, shut down related accounts and fix their algorithms. He also advised parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities, warning that a single mobile phone could endanger an entire family.
Additional IG CTD Azad Khan said counterterrorism operations would continue uninterrupted, and reiterated that the state’s resolve against terrorism remains unwavering.
