• Says she had received militant training and was allegedly coerced by her cousin into joining a banned outfit
• Claims terrorists exploit Baloch women through social media for anti-state actions

QUETTA: Security forces foiled an attempted suicide bombing by arresting a female would-be bomber while she was travelling to the federal capital to carry out a planned attack.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti disclosed this while speaking at a press conference held in the presence of the woman and her father at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat on Monday.

“It was the intelligence agencies that successfully foiled a planned suicide attack in Islamabad by arresting a young woman before she could carry out the attack,” CM Bugti said.

The woman, who was seated alongside her father during the press conference, belonged to Turbat and was identified as Khair-un-Nisa. However, neither she nor her father spoke during the briefing, and all questions regarding her were answered by the chief minister.

The chief minister said that while the government wanted to educate Baloch girls at institutions such as University of Oxford and Harvard University, terrorists were instead forcing them into wearing suicide jackets.

He said the woman from Turbat was arrested on timely intelligence, claiming she had received militant training and was blackmailed by her cousin into joining a banned organisation and preparing for a suicide attack under threat to her father.

He said the woman was supposed to carry out a suicide attack in Islamabad at a time when efforts were allegedly being made to damage Pakistan’s international image. However, intelligence agencies acted in time and foiled the plan.

Praising the agencies, CM Bugti said terrorists were exploiting innocent Baloch girls through social media for anti-state activities, adding that details of the alleged blackmail were too sensitive to disclose publicly.

He said women hold a respected place in Baloch society, and that even tribal conflicts are halted out of respect for women. He questioned how such exploitation and defamation of girls could ever be justified.

CM Bugti announced that the girl was being handed back to her father with dignity.

He said terrorists were exploiting Baloch women for their own purposes, while intelligence agencies had foiled the planned attack by arresting the girl en route from Turbat to Islamabad. He added that authorities expected to arrest the handlers soon and that over 48 individuals, including one woman, were undergoing rehabilitation in Quetta.

He said the girl had earlier been reported missing, but security agencies later discovered that she had actually been receiving militant training. He alleged that she had even been instructed to kill her father if he resisted.

The chief minister said the girl was unaware of the exact target, adding that she was being safely returned to her truck-driver father while authorities continued monitoring their security.

Mr Bugti stated that the girl was underage and had been severely exploited. He criticised “Bashir Zeb and company” over the incident and alleged that India sought to destabilise peace in Pakistan through such activities.

Responding to a question, he said the overall security situation in Balochistan was improving and challenged militant leader Bashir Zeb to address a public press conference in any city.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2026