Pakistan Foils Suicide Plot as CTD Rescues Minor Girl Targeted by BLA via Social Media

Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has thwarted an alleged suicide attack after rescuing a minor girl during a late-night intelligence-based operation on December 25, authorities said, exposing what officials describe as an increasingly dangerous militant tactic: the online grooming of children for terror operations.

According to Counter Terrorism Department officials, the girl was being radicalised by handlers linked to the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), who allegedly exploited social media platforms to indoctrinate her and push her toward a suicide mission.

Assistant Inspector General CTD Azad Khan said the child’s vulnerability was systematically exploited through extremist content and online manipulation. “Through hateful and extremist material on social media, an innocent mind was gradually poisoned,” he said, adding that the girl had been using a mobile phone secretly without her mother’s knowledge—an opening used by militant handlers to establish contact.

Investigators said the handler initially approached the girl under the guise of sympathy and assistance before escalating the communication toward incitement for a suicide attack. “The contact began with emotional reassurance and gradually shifted to anti-Pakistan, foreign-backed propaganda designed to normalise violence,” the CTD official said.

Authorities revealed that the girl was persuaded to leave home and travel to Karachi after misleading her family. However, enhanced screening at police checkpoints disrupted the handler’s movement and prevented a rendezvous at the intended location, effectively exposing and collapsing the alleged plot before it could advance further.

The case highlights a broader security concern for Pakistan as militant outfits face mounting operational pressure from sustained counterterrorism operations and intelligence coordination. Security officials say groups such as the BLA and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) have increasingly turned to women and minors, relying on online radicalisation to bypass traditional surveillance.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar warned that militant organisations are deliberately shifting their recruitment focus. “The new target of terrorists is our children, and social media is being used as a weapon,” he said, calling the incident clear evidence that banned groups are attempting to weaponise underage girls.

Security analysts say the operation underscores both the evolving threat landscape and the importance of digital vigilance, parental awareness, and proactive intelligence-led policing. Officials added that the rescued child is now in protective custody and receiving counselling, while investigations continue to trace the online networks and handlers involved.