Image showing a bomb. (For representation)
Credit: iStock Photo
Islamabad: An arrested ethnic Baloch woman, who was allegedly planning a suicide attack, revealed on Wednesday that she was brainwashed by the local militants fighting against the Pakistan security forces.
In a major success against militancy, Adila Baloch, a qualified nurse running a project with the World Health Organisation, was arrested by the security forces in Turbat, Balochistan, before carrying out the attack.
Speaking at a press conference in Quetta, the provincial capital, she described how she was lured into joining terrorist groups under false promises.
"They showed me false hopes of a new and happy life," she explained, adding that once she joined the militants hiding in the mountains, she felt that life was full of hardship.
She also claimed that terrorists blackmail and manipulate Baloch women into committing such acts. "Other Baloch youth, both men and women, had been similarly brainwashed," she said.
She further revealed that she wasn’t the only one misled by the terrorists.
Baloch said she was deceived by extremist elements. "My job was to help people and save lives. Unfortunately, I was misled by those who strayed me from the right path," she said.
She confessed that the terrorists convinced her to commit a suicide bombing without considering the innocent lives that would be lost.
She also tried to rectify the narrative about Baloch women that they willingly become suicide bombers. "It is all a lie. Terrorists blackmail women into this. I am a witness to this," she said.
In a message to Baloch youth, she asked them not to make the same mistake. "These actions only lead to destruction. You gain nothing from these activities," she warned.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in terms of area, has been grappling with low-level militancy for about two decades. The ethnic Baloch militants accuse the federal government of stealing the mineral wealth of the province.
The government rejects the allegation and accuses the rebels of being used by foreign elements to destabilise the country for vested interests.