Islamabad attack thwarted as security forces arrest female suicide bomber: CM Bugti

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Monday announced that security forces had arrested a female suicide bomber during an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO), saying the girl was reportedly being groomed for a suicide attack in Islamabad.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, CM Bugti claimed that the minor was subjected to “psychological manipulation, coercion and threats” by terrorist elements. She claimed that the law enforcement agencies had rescued her through an IBO from the custody of the banned terrorist group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which was linked to Fitna al-Hindustan.

“This timely operation not only saved the girl’s life but also prevented a major terrorist incident in the capital,” he said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the case demonstrated how extremist networks exploited vulnerable young people, particularly women, using intimidation and emotional pressure, adding that she had now been safely reunited with her father, a truck driver from a poor family.

He condemned the practice as a violation of both Baloch humanity and traditions, and emphasized that such acts did not represent the identity of the people of Balochistan.

CM Bugti reiterated that citizens of the province are peaceful and should not be associated with extremist activities, adding that the girl was manipulated by individuals linked to a terrorist organization and that her family had faced threats during the ordeal.

The prime minister further claimed that “certain proxy networks and social media actors linked to India” were amplifying extremist narratives as part of a coordinated propaganda campaign.

CM Bugti praised the quick and professional response of the law enforcement agencies and called the rescue a “classic example of effective intelligence work.”

He promised that operations against terrorist networks would continue at all levels and stressed that the exploitation of women and children would never be tolerated.

Giving details about the operations against terrorists in the last few months, CM Bugti said security forces had intensified counter-terrorism operations in Balochistan, neutralizing 216 terrorists and foiling several plots.

CM’s Advisor on Sports and Culture Meena Majid, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat and CM’s Assistant on Political and Media Affairs Shahid Rind were also present at the briefing.

In March, security forces successfully arrested another female suicide bomber in Khuzdar. CM Bugti claimed that the detained woman made critical revelations during interrogation. “She confessed that she had been recruited by a terrorist commander, Qazi Ibrahim, who had trained her for a suicide attack and then connected her to a network through an individual named Diljan,” he added.

The arrested suspect said terrorist agents had radicalized her and prepared her for a suicide mission. She revealed that she was not only assigned to carry out an attack but was also tasked with recruiting other young women for similar missions. He urged women to avoid taking part in such activities.

Initial investigations suggested the suspect had links to members of banned militant organizations and individuals involved in extremist networks. Authorities said they were connecting her with facilitators for further training and planning before her arrest.

The BLA has been increasingly involving women in its terrorist activities, including using them as suicide bombers against civilians and security forces. Reports suggest that the militant group is targeting vulnerable women, indoctrinating them for attacks aimed at disrupting peace and stability in Pakistan.

In recent years, security forces have arrested several female attackers who were blackmailed or coerced into becoming terrorists. Many of these women were manipulated or exploited by the BLA and forced to carry out suicide attacks.

In February, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Counter Terrorism Department foiled a major terrorist plot in Dera Ismail Khan, arresting a red-handed female suicide bomber of Sheikh Yousaf Khema Basti in a timely operation carried out on confirmed intelligence inputs.

In 2024, a Baloch woman, who was arrested in Turbat for planning a suicide attack, revealed that terrorists blackmailed and manipulated Baloch women into committing such acts.