QUETTA: Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove has claimed that security forces foiled a plan by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to use two minor girls for suicide attacks in southern Balochistan.
Addressing a press conference in Quetta, the minister said the two girls, identified as 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.
According to the minister, security agencies, acting on sensitive intelligence, conducted an intelligence-based operation in southern Balochistan and safely recovered the two girls while they were allegedly being shifted from one location to another.
Mr Langove said the incident demonstrated that security institutions were not only responding to terrorist attacks but also preventing several planned attacks through intelligence-based operations.
One of the girls says terrorists killed her father while she was told state institutions were responsible for his death
He alleged that BLA members had targeted the families of the two girls and subsequently attempted to exploit their grief and anger to recruit them.
The minister claimed that Zainab’s husband, Saif, was killed after allegedly refusing to cooperate with the terrorist 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 also spoke about their alleged recruitment and indoctrination.
Fatima said 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 said 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 terrorist 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 terrorist attack and that she was subsequently emotionally manipulated into joining the group.
Zainab and Fatima thanked the security forces for rescuing them. They appealed to the government and the people of Pakistan to forgive them.
Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2026
