QUETTA: Laiba, also known as Farzana, a ‘would-be’ female suicide bomber arrested from Khuzdar district, has revealed that she was first trained by a Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander to become a suicide bomber and later handed over to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which planned to use her to recruit more women for suicide missions.
However, she was arrested before reaching a militant camp or carrying out any attack.
Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, Laiba said she was a resident of Chashma village in the Zehri tehsil of Khuzdar. Her contact with TTP commander Ibrahim, also known as Qazi Mama, began in July of last year, and she later met him in person. Ibrahim mentally prepared her to carry out a suicide attack and, influenced by his words, she agreed to the plan.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, IGP Balochistan Mohammad Tahir, Additional Chief Secretary Home and Tribal Affairs Hamza Shafqaat and the CM’s Aide on Media and Political Affairs Shahid Rind were present at the press conference.
Laiba revealed that Ibrahim then connected her with BLA commander Diljan who told her that she would be introduced to Dr Sabiha of the BYC for suicide attack training. She was also tasked with preparing other girls for suicide missions. Diljan had planned to meet her, take her to the camp, and brief her on the target for the mission. However, she was arrested upon arrival in Khuzdar before any attack could take place.
The arrested woman pledged that she would never engage in such acts again. She urged other girls to stay away from such harmful activities.
Sarfraz Bugti lauded the security forces for the arrest of female suicide bomber during an operation in the Zehri tehsil of Khuzdar. He noted that the people of the province were increasingly providing information to the security forces against terrorists, which is a welcome development. He emphasised that the fight against terrorism would continue.
He said the arrested woman had been prepared for a suicide attack. The operation saved many innocent lives and such successful actions by the security forces often go unappreciated. He praised the forces for their performance. He said that after a long time, human intelligence has increased and the people of Balochistan are once again cooperating with the security forces by providing information about terrorists and their facilitators, which he described as a positive sign. Bugti stated that from day one, he has maintained that Islam, as well as Baloch and Pashtun societies, accorded a respectful status to women. He said the BLA and its commander Bashir Zeb were violating these values by exploiting women. Traditionally, women are not subjected to security checks anywhere in Balochistan or Pakistan, but due to such tactics by terrorist groups, checking of women may now become necessary. He said terrorist organisations were pushing the Baloch nation and society into a meaningless war that brought nothing but bloodshed and loss of innocent lives, including children and civilians. He said the society must reflect on this reality, and that the Baloch people were increasingly realising that they were being used in a conflict that had no logical outcome. The arrested woman will be kept in a de-radicalization centre where further investigation will take place. She has assured authorities of full cooperation and is under no pressure or coercion.
Providing background, he said the woman had married a man, after which certain family issues occurred and later her cousin — an active member of BLA — encouraged her to become a suicide bomber. He warned that terrorist groups were misusing the Internet to radicalise children and youths. The chief minister said Rs10 billion had been approved for the Counterterrorism Department (CTD) and a Rs40 billion project was underway to merge B Areas and A Areas in Balochistan. Even if Rs100 billion are required, the government is ready to spend it to eliminate terrorism.
Bugti said that after 2018, BLA and TTP commanders were released from prisons, which contributed to the rise in terrorism in the country.
