KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar on Monday said security forces rescued a Baloch schoolgirl, who was brought to Karachi for a suicide bombing. During a press conference along with Zia Lanjar and other officials, the rescued schoolgirl and her mother were also present. The affected girl in her recorded statement that was played during the presser, said that she was first exposed to hateful content on social media, which was then repeatedly shown to her until it began to feel normal. The girl explained that communication gradually increased and she started receiving links and speeches. Over time, she said, the false narrative began to feel real. According to the girl, once the person contacting her realised that her father was not present, he exploited this fact under the guise of sympathy and drew her further into the trap. She stated that in WhatsApp groups, activities of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) were portrayed as acts of bravery, which she later understood to be deliberate deception. The girl said her education began to suffer and she was slowly conditioned to believe that sacrificing one’s life was the ultimate purpose. The Baloch girl added that she made excuses to leave home, but only now has she realised the destruction she was heading towards. She recalled becoming extremely anxious when questioned at a security checkpoint. “I am Baloch, and our traditions teach respect and dignity for women,” she said. In her message to the people, she stressed that sacrificing women and girls is not Baloch culture and also warned that those who recruit individuals into groups in the name of “sacrifice” are not helpers but predators. Her mother said the family decided to speak out in the public interest so that no other girl would fall into such a trap. She thanked the state for saving her daughter’s life and dignity and urged social media platforms to impose strict checks against hate and terrorist content. Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, along with police officials and the victim girl and her mother, disclosed that BLA and its allied group, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), were actively involved in recruiting underage Baloch girls for suicide attacks. He said that in a recent attempt, a minor girl was sent to Karachi to carry out a suicide bombing, but heightened police checking at pickets prevented her handler from reaching the targeted location. “Criminal elements are brainwashing young boys and girls, and social media is being used as a weapon,” Lanjar said, adding that suicide attacks have no place in Islam, humanity or Baloch traditions. The Additional Inspector General of Police CTD said that the identity of the rescued girl was being kept strictly confidential. He said the girl had been secretly using a mobile phone, which handlers exploited to indoctrinate her with anti-Pakistan and foreign-backed propaganda. The police officer said a handler first contacted her under the guise of sympathy and support before pushing her towards the suicide mission and sending her to Karachi after she lied to her family. Provincial Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said the girl had been returned to her family with full protection and dignity, while investigations were continuing. He termed the episode the worst form of terrorism, stressing that pushing underage girls towards death was not resistance but sheer exploitation and open terror. The Additional IG CTD said that under a zero-tolerance policy, facilitators and networks would be taken to their logical end under the law, urging parents to closely monitor their children’s online activities. He said the case was clear evidence that the banned BLA and BLF were using women and underage girls as weapons.