Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in Karachi have rescued a minor girl from a Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) plot to use her as a suicide bomber after militants contacted and radicalised her through Instagram and other social media platforms.
According to reports, Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar revealed the details at a joint press conference in Karachi alongside Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional Inspector General Azad Khan and Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho.
He explained that militants approached the child online and gradually indoctrinated her over time.
“Terrorists contacted the girl through social media, narrated fabricated stories and brainwashed her,” Lanjar said, adding that militants had prepared her to become a suicide bomber before law enforcement intervened.
The home minister emphasised that militant propaganda relies on falsehoods and urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activity. “[Their] terrorists’ narrative is based on lies. Through social media, they spread a false narrative against the state,” he said.
Lanjar noted that the girl comes from a family with no apparent militant background.
“She has two brothers, one of whom serves in the police,” he said. He also stressed the state’s commitment to the Baloch community, saying, “The state is standing with the Baloch people.”
CTD Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Azad Khan provided further details about the radicalization process. He said, “A BLA terrorist first contacted the girl on Instagram and later added her to a WhatsApp group, where militants exposed her to hate-filled content and anti-state narratives.”
“Initially, she was given extremist material, followed by continuous indoctrination,” Azad Khan said. He explained that the girl used social media like other children her age and had no family history of militancy.
Khan revealed that militants had taken the child out of Karachi as part of the plot, but authorities intercepted her during snap checking outside the city. “Because of her age, we do not consider her a suspect,” he said, adding that authorities will not pursue the matter through the criminal justice system.
Authorities informed the family of the entire situation after recovering the girl. “They will be provided protection,” Khan added.