A Karachi suicide bombing attempt was prevented after security forces rescued a schoolgirl, as Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar revealed details during a press conference held in Karachi on Monday.
Addressing media alongside senior Sindh police officials, Zia Lanjar said the girl belonged to Balochistan and was being prepared for a suicide attack through extremist propaganda networks.
He claimed that banned organisations BLA and BLF were behind the radicalisation effort, using online platforms to manipulate and exploit vulnerable young girls for violent activities.
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According to Lanjar, security agencies monitored suspicious online activity, contacted the girl through social media channels, and successfully intervened before any irreversible harm could occur.
The minister said the timely action prevented Karachi from facing a major tragedy, stressing that intelligence coordination played a crucial role in rescuing the minor safely.
Zia Lanjar warned that extremist groups are increasingly targeting women and underage girls, calling it a dangerous trend that reflects desperation and moral collapse among terrorist organisations.
He stressed that pushing children toward death is neither resistance nor ideology, but pure terrorism and exploitation of innocence under the guise of political struggle.
Explaining the radicalisation process, Lanjar said anti-state actors deliberately indoctrinate teenagers by repeatedly exposing them to “hateful and misleading propaganda” online.
He confirmed that the girl was contacted through social media, gradually brainwashed, and emotionally manipulated after recruiters learned her father was not present at home.
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Authorities have kept the girl’s identity strictly confidential, with Lanjar assuring that the state guarantees her dignity, protection, rehabilitation, and future educational opportunities.
Speaking to officials, the rescued girl said she was initially exposed to hateful content online, which was repeatedly shown until it began to feel normal and acceptable.
She explained that communication increased gradually, with speeches and links shared regularly, making false narratives appear real and convincing over time.
The girl said recruiters exploited her emotional vulnerability by showing sympathy, eventually drawing her deeper into extremist ideology and isolating her from normal life.
She revealed that WhatsApp groups portrayed BLA activities as heroic, which she later realised was deliberate deception designed to glorify violence and death.
According to her, the brainwashing affected her studies, while she was conditioned to believe that sacrificing her life was a noble and ultimate purpose.
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She recalled feeling extreme anxiety at a security checkpoint, which later became a turning point leading to her rescue by law enforcement agencies.
“I am Baloch, and our traditions teach respect and dignity for women,” she said. She stressed that sacrificing women and girls is not Baloch culture.
She warned families to remain vigilant, saying those who recruit in the name of sacrifice are predators exploiting emotions, not helpers or freedom fighters.
