QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Monday disclosed that the intelligence agencies had successfully foiled a planned suicide attack in Islamabad by arresting a young woman.
Addressing a press conference at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat here, he said while the government wanted to educate Baloch girls at institutions like the University of Oxford and Harvard University, terrorists were forcing Baloch girls to wear suicide jackets.
Adviser for Sports Meena Majeed and Additional Chief Secretary Interior Hamza Shafqaat, Aide to Chief Minister for Media and Political Affairs Shahid Rind accompanied him. Bugti said the alleged female suicide bomber belonged to Turbat and was arrested on the basis of timely intelligence information.
According to him, the girl received training at a terrorist camp. Her cousin blackmailed her into working for a banned militant organisation and later pressured her into preparing for a suicide attack by threatening to kill her father if she refused.
He said the woman was supposed to carry out a suicide attack in Islamabad at a time when efforts were being made to sabotage Pakistan’s international image. However, intelligence agencies acted in time and foiled the plan. He said terrorists had nothing to do with the Baloch culture or traditions and they manipulate innocent Baloch girls through the social media for anti-state activities.
Bugti said the details shared by the girl regarding the blackmail were too sensitive to be disclosed publicly. He said terrorists exploit girls by making video clips and blackmailing them through the social media.
He said women held a respected place in the Baloch society, and in tribal traditions even wars and conflicts were stopped out of respect for women. He questioned how such exploitation and defamation of girls could be justified.
Bugti announced that the girl was being handed back to her father with dignity. He said terrorists were exploiting Baloch daughters and sisters for their own purposes, while intelligence agencies saved Pakistan from embarrassment by preventing the attack.
He added that the girl was traveling from Turbat to Islamabad when she was arrested. He said the handlers behind the plot would be arrested soon. Responding to a question, he said unemployment was not the cause of terrorism and that action against terrorists was taken based on evidence. He further stated that over 48 individuals were currently undergoing rehabilitation at a rehabilitation center in Quetta, including one woman.
He acknowledged that some areas of Balochistan remain disturbed and claimed that anti-Pakistan narratives had been developed over the past 30 to 40 years. He said the government had complete information about the countries involved in anti-Pakistan activities. According to him, terrorists could not achieve their objectives by exploiting girls.
The chief minister said the girl had not been informed about the exact target. Her father is a truck driver and the government is now returning her safely and respectfully to him.
He assured that the state would ensure the security of both the girl and her father. In response to a question, he said there might be security issues in one or two union councils, but the overall situation in most parts of Balochistan was improving. He challenged militant leader Bashir Zeb to hold a press conference openly in a city, saying he could never do so.
