KHUZDAR: The case of a female suicide bomber, Laiba alias Farzana, has surfaced amid a growing pattern of internationally designated terrorist outfit BLA and other Fitna al Hindustan groups exploiting women for terrorist activities in recent years.
The trend signals a shift in strategy by extremist organizations, which are increasingly targeting young women to expand their operational networks.
Laiba, a resident of Chashma area in Zehri tehsil of Khuzdar district in southwestern Balochistan, was arrested following intelligence-based operations. During interrogation, she told investigators she had initially come into contact with a commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who allegedly indoctrinated her for a suicide mission.
She was later handed over to the network of the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), where she was being further trained and tasked with recruiting other women into the group, officials said.
Her case is part of a broader pattern. In recent years, several women suspected of involvement in militant activities or suicide plots have been arrested in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan. In the past couple of months, several female suicide bombers were also killed in operations in multiple areas including pashin, Khuzdar and Turbat of the province
In 2022, counterterrorism authorities arrested a woman identified as Noor Jehan in the Hoshab area of Kech district. Officials said she was linked to the BLA’s Majeed Brigade and was planning to target a Chinese convoy along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route. A suicide vest and explosives were recovered during the operation.
The same year in Turbat, security forces detained another woman allegedly preparing for a suicide attack. Authorities said she was trained under the same network associated with the female attacker involved in the Karachi University bombing.
In 2023, counterterrorism police arrested a suspected female suicide bomber, Mahal Baloch, linked to the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), during a raid in Quetta’s Satellite Town area.
More recently, in December 2025, police took a minor girl into custody after she was allegedly radicalized online and persuaded to carry out a suicide attack. She was intercepted while traveling from Balochistan to Karachi to meet her handler. Officials treated her as a victim of extremist propaganda rather than a perpetrator.
Security analysts say Baloch separatist groups, particularly the BLA, have increasingly incorporated women into their operations since 2022, when a female suicide bomber carried out a high-profile attack at Karachi University. Since then, further incidents and arrests involving women have been reported.
Experts attribute this shift to several factors: relatively less stringent security screening of women, the use of emotional and social pressure to influence recruits, the growing role of online radicalization via social media, and, in some cases, recruitment through family or close contacts.
They warn that the inclusion of women marks a significant change in traditional militant tactics, though security agencies remain capable of countering the evolving threat.
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The arrest of Laiba alias Farzana underscores ongoing efforts by militant groups to exploit women for operational purposes. However, officials say timely intelligence-based actions have helped thwart multiple potential attacks.
Analysts stress that addressing the issue requires not only security measures but also broader efforts in public awareness, education, and countering online extremism.
