On November 30, 2025, the remote town of Nokundi in Balochistan’s Chagai district was shaken by a powerful explosion. An explosives-laden vehicle rammed into the Frontier Corps (FC) Headquarters.
Claimed by the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), the assault drew attention for introducing a female suicide bomber, Zareena Rafiq. Presented as part of its “Sado Operational Battalion,” Zareena Rafiq was described as a suicide operative. She was killed in the attack along with other militants.
However, it is the testimony of a facilitator’s wife, Raheema Bibi, that has brought new clarity to how the network operated—revealing links between domestic spaces, cross-border movement, and the individuals behind the attack.
At the time, many questions remained unanswered. How was the operation planned? Who facilitated it? And how did a network like this function beyond the attack itself?
Weeks later, in Quetta, some of those questions began to take shape.
During a press conference on 18th April , officials from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Home Department shared new findings. Among them was a detail that shifted the focus from the battlefield to a household. The facilitator, Manzoor Ahmed, they said, had fled to Afghanistan after the attack. But it was the recorded statement of his wife, Raheema Bibi, that drew particular attention.
In her testimony, Raheema Bibi, a resident of Dalbandin, stated that Zareena Rafiq had stayed at her home prior to the attack. She said her husband used her mobile phone to communicate with militants, allowing him to maintain contact without exposing his identity.
The connection did not end there. Raheema Bibi stated that Zareena was later sent across the border to Afghanistan for training and personally escorted by Manzoor Ahmed. This detail pointed to a wider network—one that extended beyond local facilitation and into cross-border coordination. It also raises questions around individuals who are often described as “missing,” suggesting that in some cases, they may be moved into training environments across the border.
The day of the attack brought a moment that, in her words, connected everything. On November 30, her husband showed her a photograph and told her that the woman who had carried out the attack was the same person who had stayed in their home.
Shortly after, Manzoor Ahmed left for Afghanistan.
Raheema Bibi said he later attempted to call her there as well. Before she could leave, she and her younger brother, Zubair, were arrested by security forces.
Her account then took a more personal turn.
She stated that after her arrest, her husband distanced himself completely. According to her, he even suggested that she be killed, declaring he had no further connection with her and has refused to own his unborn child.
Another layer of the story emerged almost simultaneously.
In a very coordinated effort , social media accounts linked to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) began propagating that Raheema and her brother Zubair had been forcibly disappeared. A very coordinated effort of propagation was made by BYC’s social media account on 9th December 2025, roads were blocked, protests were orgazined.Yet, her own statement confirmed that she had been arrested.
This raises a very serious question, Is BYC shielding terrorists to create a narrative that best fits their agenda? Or are they part of broader echo system that enables terrorism in Balochistan?
As a teenager, Laiba alias Farzana arrested last month, explicitly implicated BYC’s leader Dr Sabiha Baloch for being tasked with training her for recruiting females for militant organizations.
While each case carries its own context, together they point toward a broader attempt to target young individuals—particularly women—for recruitment.
Viewed together, the Nokundi attack and the details that followed outline a three-layered pattern.
First, there appears to be a phase of ideological conditioning or influence. Second, groups such as BLF and BLA provide training and operational direction. Third, once an attack takes place, it is amplified symbolically; if individuals are apprehended, distance is created.
The use of Zareena Rafiq as a female suicide bomber reflects more than a tactical decision. It represents an attempt to reshape narratives—both operationally and symbolically. In a society where women traditionally hold a protected and respected position, their use in such roles carries both shock value and strategic advantage.
At the same time, the case highlights a deeper and more concerning shift.
Militant activity is no longer confined to remote areas or hidden camps. It is moving into homes—into everyday spaces where trust, relationships, and routine are used as tools. Rahima Bibi’s account reflects how a household, without full awareness, can become part of a wider operational chain.
The cross-border element further complicates the picture. The movement of individuals to Afghanistan for training and the presence of facilitators there continue to point toward an external dimension that supports and sustains these networks.
Beyond strategy and structure, the case also reflects the human cost.
Raheema Bibi’s account suggests how individuals can be drawn into situations they do not fully understand—only to be abandoned when those networks come under pressure. Families are left to deal with the consequences, often without clarity or support.
The FC Nokundi attack, viewed through this testimony, is not just about a single incident. It is about a system—one that connects homes to operations, local actors to cross-border networks, and events on the ground to narratives that follow them.
And at the centre of it is a testimony that offers a rare, inside view of how such a system functions before it becomes visible.
