Law enforcement agencies have foiled a case of BLA social media radicalisation after rescuing a minor girl who was being groomed online by facilitators of the banned outfit for a planned suicide attack, officials said on Monday.
Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in Karachi have foiled an attempt by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to groom and deploy a minor girl for a suicide attack after she was radicalised through social media platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
The development was disclosed during a joint press conference addressed by Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar, CTD Additional Inspector General Azad Khan, and Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho.
Officials said the girl was contacted online and gradually indoctrinated through extremist propaganda before law enforcement intervened in time to rescue her.
Online Radicalisation and Indoctrination
According to Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar, the child was approached through social media accounts linked to BLA facilitators, where she was exposed to fabricated narratives and extremist content.
“Terrorists contacted the girl through social media, narrated false stories, and brainwashed her,” Lanjar said, adding that she was being prepared to act as a suicide bomber before authorities intercepted the plot.
He said the case highlighted how banned militant outfits were exploiting digital platforms to spread false narratives against the state and manipulate vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children. He urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities.
Lanjar also emphasised that the state stood with the Baloch people, noting that extremist groups were misusing Baloch identity and traditions for violent agendas.
WhatsApp Groups and Glorification of Violence
CTD Additional IG Azad Khan said a BLA handler initially contacted the girl on Instagram and later added her to a WhatsApp group, where she was repeatedly exposed to hate-filled material, anti-state narratives, and content glorifying militant violence.
“Initially, she was given extremist material, followed by continuous indoctrination,” Khan said.
He added that the girl belonged to an ordinary family with no known militant background and used social media like other children of her age.
Authorities said the WhatsApp group shared videos portraying BLA operations as heroic and repeatedly glorified female suicide bombers, presenting them as symbols of sacrifice.
Interception During Travel
As part of the plot, the girl was taken out of Karachi and placed on a bus. However, she was intercepted during snap checking outside the city after becoming visibly nervous when questioned by police.
“Because of her age, we do not consider her an accused,” Azad Khan said, adding that the case was not being pursued through the criminal justice system.
The family was informed immediately after her recovery, and officials confirmed that protection would be provided.
Statements of the Girl and Her Mother
During the press conference, recorded statements of the girl and her mother were played for the media, with their identities concealed.
In her statement, the girl said she initially came across videos of Shari Baloch on social media and became curious about how an educated woman with children could carry out such an act. That curiosity led her to consume more related content, including videos and songs.
She said a person she met on Instagram frequently discussed figures such as Mahrang Baloch and Bashir Zeb and later sent her a book, which she read multiple times despite not fully understanding it. Over time, she began to feel there was “some truth” in the narrative being presented.
She said she was later added to a WhatsApp group where BLA activities were glorified, women were portrayed as heroes, and concepts of “sacrifice for the homeland” were repeatedly promoted.
The handler allegedly told her that if she carried out such an act, she would be remembered in the same way as previous female attackers. Encouraged by constant praise, she eventually decided to leave home under the pretext of attending a tea party.
She said she was received in Windar by a woman linked to the handler, who continued praising her and narrating stories of female suicide attackers, Shari Baloch, Sumaiya Qalandrani telling her she was about to do something “very big” for the Baloch people.
While travelling onward, the bus was stopped at a checkpoint, where her nervous behaviour led to further questioning and her removal from the bus.
The girl said she later realised the destruction she was heading towards and described the fear she felt during police questioning. She stressed that Baloch traditions teach respect for women and that sacrificing women or young girls is not part of Baloch culture.
“Those who recruit people in the name of sacrifice are not helpers, but predators,” she said.
Her mother said she decided to speak publicly in the interest of other families, adding that the state saved her daughter’s life and fully protected her dignity and future.
CTD officials urged social media platforms to take strict action against terrorist and hate-based content, shut down such accounts, and improve monitoring mechanisms.
Additional IG Azad Khan warned parents that unmonitored access to mobile phones and social media could put entire families at risk. He said facilitators and terrorist networks would be taken to their “logical end” under the law, adding that counterterrorism operations would continue under a zero-tolerance policy.
Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar said the incident clearly demonstrated that banned organisations were increasingly using women and underage girls as tools.
“Suicide attacks are not justified in Islam, humanity, or Baloch traditions,” he said, adding that pushing minor girls towards death was the worst form of terrorism and a blatant form of human exploitation.
