QUETTA: Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langau claimed on Saturday that security forces had foiled a plan by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to use two minor girls in suicide attacks in southern Balochistan.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, the minister said the girls — 16-year-old Zainab and her 12-year-old cousin Fatima — were allegedly being indoctrinated and prepared for suicide attacks after members of their families were killed.

He said security agencies, acting on “sensitive intelligence”, conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in southern Balochistan and safely recovered the girls while they were allegedly being moved from one location to another.

Langau said the incident demonstrated that security institutions were not only responding to terrorist attacks but also preventing several planned attacks through intelligence-based operations (IBOs).

According to Langau, BLA members had targeted the families of the two girls and subsequently sought to exploit their grief and anger to recruit them.

The minister claimed Zainab’s husband, Saif, was killed after allegedly refusing to cooperate with the militant organisation.

He said a local commander subsequently contacted Zainab and allegedly tried to persuade her to carry out a suicide attack in retaliation.

During the press conference, the two girls, who were seated beside the minister, also spoke about their alleged recruitment and indoctrination.

Fatima alleged her father, Nisar, had been killed by terrorists and that she was subsequently told that state institutions were responsible for his death. She alleged that she was then encouraged to carry out a suicide attack.

The girls claimed they initially wanted to return home but were allegedly subjected to pressure and mistreatment when they refused to cooperate. They claimed that the local commander continued contacting them and attempting to persuade them to join the militant organisation.

According to the minister, Fatima remained in contact with the alleged commander because she was Zainab’s cousin and was constantly with her. He further claimed that Fatima’s father had also been killed in a militant attack and that she was subsequently emotionally manipulated into joining the group.

Zainab and Fatima thanked the security forces for rescuing them and saving their lives. They also appealed to the government and the people of Pakistan to forgive them.

In January 2025, a former member of the BLA had claimed that the banned militant group brainwashed average citizens into thinking a certain way about Balochistan and resorting to terrorist activities.