Sindh officials said on Monday that a major terrorist attack was averted after police intercepted an underage girl who had been recruited through social media and was being moved to Karachi for a potential attack.
The disclosure was made by Sindh Interior Minister Zia Lanjar at an emergency press conference in Karachi, alongside CTD Additional Inspector General Azad Khan and Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho.
Lanjar said police stopped the girl on December 25 while she was travelling on public transport from Balochistan to Karachi. Officers became suspicious due to her behaviour and questioned her about her identity, but her responses were unsatisfactory, prompting further inquiry by a female officer.
The questioning revealed that the girl, a school student from Balochistan whose identity has been withheld, had been radicalised online by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and was on her way to meet handlers linked to the banned militant group.
According to police, the girl said she was first contacted through her Instagram account, where individuals began sharing content about the separation of Balochistan and alleged oppression in the province. She was later added to a WhatsApp group that circulated anti-state and anti-military material and glorified Baloch separatist figures, including Shari Baloch.
Speaking in a recorded video at the press conference, the girl said she gradually came to believe the narratives shared in the WhatsApp group. She said this influenced her thinking, turning her against the state, and led her to lose interest in her studies, family, and friends.
Police said the girl later left her home without informing her family and met a woman affiliated with the banned Baloch Liberation Army. Officials said the woman further indoctrinated her and was preparing to hand her over to a handler in Karachi, who would have used her in a terrorist act or suicide attack.
Authorities said the timely identification and questioning of the girl prevented a potential catastrophe.
CTD AIG Azad Khan urged parents to closely monitor their children’s online activity, warning that militant groups were deliberately targeting minors due to their vulnerability and lack of maturity.
Police said no legal action would be taken against the girl and that she remains in protective custody. Her identity will not be disclosed.
Interior Minister Lanjar said the girl was not being treated as an accused.
“Due to her young age, she was misled,” he said. “She is being given a chance to reform.”
Officials said the case highlights how militant groups are increasingly using social media platforms to recruit and radicalise underage children, posing serious security risks.
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.
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.
Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon praised the role of the intelligence agencies in rescuing a Baloch girl, stating that timely information and coordinated action not only ensured the girl’s safety but also led to the recovery of a suicide jacket from her. He said the girl is a minor and that the government made a wise decision not to imprison her, as she had been exploited by terrorists who were attempting to carry out a dangerous and horrific act through her. He added that the terrorists lured the girl through social media, brainwashed her, and attempted to use her for their nefarious purposes.
Sharjeel Inam Memon said this was not the first such incident, noting that terrorists keep their own children in safe and secure environments while exploiting the children of others for their malicious objectives. He further stated that this is not an isolated case involving a single girl; many children are misled through social media and then exploited.
He described the incident as an eye-opener for the entire nation, saying it is not a movement but sheer brutality, with terrorists demonstrating this brutality by targeting innocent girls and boys to advance their nefarious aims.