Adeela Khudabaksh, a suspect with an alleged suicide bombing plan, in a press conference held by the Balochistan government in Quetta, said on Wednesday she was “led astray by a few individuals”.

Flanked by her parents, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind and MPA Farah Azeem Shah, among others, Khudabaksh said she had “remained in contact with people who substantially led me astray”.

Rind said Baloch’s father had contacted the Turbat district administration on the night of September 16 to inform them that his daughter was “missing and her whereabouts were unknown”.

“Considering the incidents that have happened in the past, this matter was dealt with in a high-profile manner,” he emphasised.

Rind added that the district and provincial administrations, along with law enforcement agencies (LEAs), including the Counter-Terrorism Department, “engaged the family”.

Subsequently, it was found that “Adeela Khudabaksh, who worked in the nursing field in the Turbat District Headquarters Hospital, was missing”, the government official said.

Noting that the “first priority was her recovery”, Rind said Khudabaksh’s family “cooperated” with the government and LEAs for the alleged suspect’s “safe recovery”.

When given the platform to speak, Khudabaksh said she hailed from Turbat and received her early education there as well. “Currently, I am a qualified nurse,” she said, detailing that she did a nursing course from Bolan Medical College in Quetta.

“My job is to save people’s lives and help them but during this time, unfortunately, I remained in contact with such people who substantially led me astray.

“They led me astray in such a way that I myself agreed to commit suicide [attacks]. I did not even think that after the suicide attack, I would lose my life but how many could lose theirs lives [too] because of me,” Khudabaksh added.

“I realised my mistake when I went to the mountains. […] I was told that I would get a new life but there was nothing as such there. There were such tough conditions there and harsh treatment,” she said, adding that she “saw other youth there who had also been led astray”.

In an apparent reference to a woman reportedly carrying out a suicide blast in the July 26 widespread attacks, Khudabaksh said: “The impression these days that Baloch women are carrying out suicide attacks out of their volition is wrong. I am an eyewitness. I saw myself that these people blackmail and take [women] away.”

Breaking into tears, Khudabaksh said, “I had set on the wrong path but I remained unaware. Today, I have been saved. […] I am thankful to the Balochistan government as I was saved from becoming their victim because of the [government],” she said.

Calling herself a “survivor”, the alleged suspect urged citizens to not be fooled by such elements as “these people use you for their aims”.

Responding to questions from reporters, Adeela said there was “one other girl at the mountains” with her, whose name she said she did not know as each person was assigned a code name.

Khudabaksh’s parents also spoke during the press conference.

The father, who said he was an employee at a bank in Karachi, recalled him approaching the district authorities and urged other “such parents” in a similar situation to do the same.

In a “message to those on the mountains”, the father asked: “What kind of a Baloch is one who takes away someone else’s daughter for their personal interest?”

“Another message is for those who post things about them on social media — it is nothing but propaganda.”

In her statements, Azeem, a Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) lawmaker, said, “Adeela Baloch is a living example of the state and the government proving themselves as a mother. […] Even right now, the state has accepted Adeela with open arms.”

“I am also sending a message to those Baloch — please end this fight, where the loss would only be of Balochistan and its innocent people.

“There is no issue in talking about rights but when it comes to the Constitution of Pakistan, the red line, the state will not compromise with anyone on it” Azeem asserted.

Govt taking steps against ‘enemy’: Farah Azeem

Terming Khudabaksh a “role model for other women”, Azeem said the Balochistan government was taking steps to counter its “enemies”.

“The way she was brainwashed, taken to the mountains […] Her father contacted the Balochistan government and we took action,” the lawmaker said while speaking to Dawn News.

“The enemy has been trying to persuade our children and brainwash them. But the government is also taking many steps against this,” the BAP MPA asserted.

She highlighted that a campaign by Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has also been launched, under which people were asked to “remain in contact within their areas and to spread awareness among people, especially teachers”.

Stating that people were “unaware” of Balochistan’s situation, Azeem said the province’s “political dimensions” were different. “Two borders touch Balochistan. There are many agencies activated in the region. Most of our budget is spent on safety,” she said.

The MPA said CM Bugti was “taking steps to engage the youth”, adding that 30,000 youth were being sent abroad to study and that education was allocated a greater share in the budget.