Female suicide bombing plot in Islamabad foiled, says Balochistan CM

ISLAMABAD: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on Monday that intelligence agencies had thwarted a planned terrorist attack in Islamabad by arresting a female suicide bomber in Balochistan.

Speaking at a press conference in Quetta alongside the detained woman, Bugti said the suspect had been assigned to carry out a suicide attack in the federal capital and that the plot was stopped through timely action by intelligence agencies.

The chief minister said the planned attack had been prevented before it could be executed, and thanked intelligence agencies for what he described as saving the country from a major disaster.

Bugti says women are being exploited by militant groups

Bugti said those involved in such acts had no link with Baloch traditions. He said the government wanted girls to receive education, but militant groups were instead pushing them into suicide missions.

He said the arrested woman would be handed over to her father respectfully. According to the chief minister, terrorist groups were exploiting women and young girls to serve their international handlers.

Bugti further said the woman had been threatened that her father would be killed if she refused to carry out the suicide attack.

The chief minister said the suspect was on a suicide mission in Islamabad and that intelligence agencies foiled the terrorism plan via timely action.

Reference to earlier case in Turbat

The development comes months after the provincial government, in September 2024, presented another suspected female suicide bomber, Adeela Baloch, before the media after her arrest in Turbat.

At the time, Adeela Baloch said security agencies had rescued her after a separatist group allegedly tried to exploit her. She said she had been brainwashed and warned that young people were being systematically drawn into terrorism by extremist networks.

Rising militancy figures cited

The report comes against the backdrop of a rise in cross-border militant activity since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the two provinces bordering Afghanistan.

In January, Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said law enforcement agencies had carried out 75,175 intelligence-based operations across Pakistan in 2025.

Providing a regional breakdown, he said 14,658 intelligence-based operations were conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 58,778 in Balochistan, and 1,739 in the rest of the country.

Lt Gen Chaudhry also said 5,397 terrorist incidents were recorded nationwide last year. Of these, 3,811 took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,557 in Balochistan, and 29 in other parts of Pakistan.

Bugti’s remarks on Monday focused on what he said was the use of women and girls by militant groups, as he reiterated that such actions were contrary to Baloch values and traditions.