Attack on Islamabad foiled as security forces arrest female suicide bomber: CM Bugti

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti announced on Monday that security forces had arrested a female suicide bomber during an intelligence-based operation (IBO), saying the girl was allegedly being prepared for a suicide attack in Islamabad.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, CM Bugti said the minor girl was subjected to “psychological manipulation, coercion and threats” by terrorist elements. He stated that 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 chief minister stressed that the case demonstrated how extremist networks exploited vulnerable youth, especially women, by using intimidation and emotional pressure, adding that she was now safely reunited with her father, a truck driver from a poor family.

He condemned this practice as an affront to both humanity and Baloch traditions and emphasized that such actions did not represent the identity of the people of Balochistan.

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

The chief minister further stated that “certain India-linked proxy networks and social media actors” 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 of operations against terrorists in recent months, CM Bugti said security forces had intensified operations against terrorism in Balochistan, neutralized 216 terrorists and foiled several plots.

Adviser to CM on Sports and Culture Meena Majid, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat and Aide to CM 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 said the arrested woman made critical revelations during the interrogation. “She confessed that she had been recruited by a terrorist commander, Qazi Ibrahim, who had trained her for a suicide bomb, later connected to a network through a person named Diljan,” he had added.

The arrested suspect said she had been radicalized and prepared for a suicide mission by terrorists. She revealed that she was not only tasked with carrying out an attack, but was also tasked with recruiting other young women for similar missions. She urged women to avoid becoming part of such activities.

Initial investigations indicated that the suspect had links with members of banned militant organizations and persons involved in extremist networks. Officials said she was connected with facilitators for additional training and planning prior to her arrest.

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

In recent years, security forces have arrested several female bombers who were blackmailed or forced to become 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 terror plot in Dera Ismail Khan and arrested a female suicide bomber red-handed from Sheikh Yousaf Khema Basti in a timely operation based on confirmed intelligence.

In 2024, a Baloch woman who was arrested in Turbat for planning a suicide attack revealed that terrorists were blackmailing and manipulating Baloch women to commit such acts.