LEAs foil BLA’s attempt to groom child for suicide attack via social media

• Home minister Lanjar says girl radicalised through social media.
• BLA militant contacted girl on Instagram, says home minister.
• Girl detained during snap checking outside Karachi: CTD AIG Khan.
  

The law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in Karachi have rescued a minor girl from a Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) suicide bombing plot after what authorities said she was contacted and radicalised through Instagram and other social media platforms by the militant outfit.

Addressing a joint press conference in Karachi alongside CTD Additional Inspector General (AIG) Azad Khan and Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho, Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar said the child was approached online and gradually indoctrinated by militants.

“Terrorists contacted the girl through social media, narrated fabricated stories and brainwashed her,” Lanjar said, adding that she was prepared to become a suicide bomber.

He added that the girl was being prepared to act as a suicide bomber before law enforcement intervened in time.

Sindh home minister further said militant propaganda relied on falsehoods. “[The] terrorists’ narrative is based on lies. Through social media, they spread a false narrative against the state,” he said, urging parents to closely monitor their children’s online activity.

“She has two brothers, one of whom serves in the police,” the home minister noted.

Lanjar also stressed that the state stood with the Baloch community, saying, “The state is standing with the Baloch people.”

Speaking on the occasion, CTD AIG Azad Khan said a BLA terrorist first contacted the girl on Instagram and later added her to a WhatsApp group, where she was exposed to hate-filled content and anti-state narratives. “Initially, she was given extremist material, followed by continuous indoctrination,” Azad Khan said.

He said the girl used social media like other children of her age and came from a family with no apparent militant background.

Azad Khan further said the child was taken out of Karachi as part of the plot, but was intercepted during snap checking outside the city. “Because of her age, we do not consider her an accused,” he said, adding that the authorities were not taking the matter towards the criminal justice system.

The family was informed of the entire situation after the girl’s recovery. “They will be provided protection,” Khan added.

‘Timely action saved Karachi from devastation’

Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said the banned BLA was using social media platforms to radicalise individuals and push them towards terrorism, adding that timely action by security agencies had prevented a major incident in Karachi.

Speaking to Brackly News, Tarar said extremists first approach people as sympathisers before carrying out ideological indoctrination. “BLA carries out brainwashing and then uses people for terrorism,” he said.

He claimed the group fully supported activist Mahrang Baloch and alleged its objective was to destabilise Pakistan. “The purpose of the BLA is to create instability in the country,” Tarar added.

“Timely action saved Karachi from devastation,” he said.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said militant groups were increasingly using digital platforms instead of weapons. “Terrorists are now using social media instead of guns,” he said.

Chaudhry urged social media companies to block extremist content and share account details with the government. “This is not about freedom of expression, it is about protecting people,” he added.