Law enforcement agencies have foiled a planned suicide attack in Karachi by rescuing a minor Baloch girl who was being groomed by terrorist elements for the attack, officials confirmed on Sunday.
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Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, accompanied by Additional Inspector General of Police Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Muhammad Azad Khan, disclosed the details during a press conference. He said terrorist organizations linked to Fitna-e-Hindustan are increasingly targeting underage children and exploiting social media platforms to radicalize vulnerable minds.
According to the minister, a network associated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) lured the minor girl and attempted to prepare her for a suicide attack. Timely intelligence-based action by law enforcement agencies not only saved the girl’s life but also prevented a potential major tragedy in Karachi.
Additional IG CTD Sindh revealed that the girl was safely taken into protective custody during a sensitive operation on the night of December 25. Investigations showed that extremist handlers gradually influenced her through hateful and radical content shared on social media.
Officials said the girl had been secretly using a mobile phone without her mother’s knowledge. A handler initially contacted her by expressing sympathy and offering help, later manipulating her emotionally and inciting her towards suicide bombing. After learning about her father’s death, the handler intensified psychological pressure under the guise of compassion.
The girl was brought to Karachi by the network; however, strict security checks at police checkpoints prevented the handler from reaching the intended target location, exposing the plot. During interrogation, the girl provided crucial details about the network, its contacts, and its methods. Given her minor age, her family was immediately contacted.
Authorities said her identity was kept strictly confidential, and she was handed over to her family with full protection and dignity. Investigations against facilitators and network members are ongoing. Recorded statements of the girl and her mother were played for the media with identities concealed.
In her statement, the girl said extremist content was repeatedly shown to her on social media, glorifying violence and portraying suicide attacks as acts of bravery. She said she later realized the destruction she was being pushed toward and expressed fear when stopped at a police checkpoint. She emphasized that Baloch traditions honor women and do not condone sacrificing young girls in the name of violence.
The girl’s mother praised the state for saving her daughter’s life, saying the authorities acted “like a mother” and protected her child’s dignity and future.
Additional IG CTD urged social media platforms to take strict action against extremist content and improve monitoring systems. He also warned parents to closely supervise their children’s online activities, noting that misuse of a single mobile phone could endanger entire families.
Home Minister Lanjar stressed that suicide attacks have no justification in Islam, humanity, or Baloch culture, calling the recruitment of minor girls the worst form of terrorism and human exploitation.
