Tazeen Akhtar
As we are continuously pointing out the increasing number of women in terrorism and suicide bombings in Pakistan, there was another woman, another suicide attack and another damage to security of Pakistan on Monday 03 March in Balochistan where a Frontier Corps convoy was hit by a woman suicide bomber, killing one troop and injuring many.
Balochistan is the worst hit not only by terrorism but with woman suiciders as it is second in less than one year time. The first was in Lasbela (Name Mahil Baloch)on a check post on 26 Aug last year and the latest is in Kalat. If we add Karachi Chinese institute attack by Shaari Baloch, we can count 3 women from Balochistan.
The photo of the latest female suicide bomber in Kalat is viral on social media and not has been shared officially so far. Her name, id and education is unknown. Yes! education is another matter of concern. Shaari Baloch and Mahil Baloch were educated women hailing from educated families of Balochistan.
The paramilitary Frontier Corps convoy was en route to security forces’ mess from the FC Fort on N-25 Quetta-Karachi highway.
The Baloch Liberation Army, (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack as the Deputy Commissioner Kalat Mr. Bilal Shabbir shared with media ;
“A female suicide bomber struck the security forces convoy killing one soldier of the paramilitary Frontier Corps on the spot and injuring four others who were shifted to hospital. The female suicide bomber was standing outside the FC fort located at the highway and detonated herself when they were moving from the fort to the security forces’ mess in Kalat.”
First Phase – KPK
Women in suicide attacks is now a common phenomenon in Pakistan.It started in 2007 when on 4 Dec, a woman was blasted by remote device in front of a check post in Peshawar Cantonment in KPK. Second such case was on 25 Dec 2010 when a 24 year old women suicider attacked office of World Food Program killing 45 people in Khar, Bajaur, KPK. On 25 June 2011, a women attacked a police station in Kalachi , Dera Ismael Khan, KPK. On 11 Aug 2011, in Peshawar, Lahore Gate, a young girl of 17-18 years age blasted herself killing 5 police personnel.
These are all attacks in KPK, the tribal areas were not merged into KPK at that time. But two blasts in Peshawar, the provincial capital were enough to open the eyes and minds of the concerned officials. Notably, this new trend was observed only after the military operation at Lal Masjid Islamabad during Musharraf regime.
Second Phase – Balochistan
Next phase of women suicide attackers was after a gap of 10 years and in other provinces. First in Sindh, On 26 April 2022, Shari Baloch, an educated women having 2 children, hit a van near the University of Karachi‘s Confucius Institute, killing three Chinese academics and their Pakistani driver.
In June 2023, Sumaiya Qalandrani Baloch targeted a convoy of military in Turbat district. The (BLA)declared that the “era of women’s active participation in the armed struggle has begun.” Sumaiya, 25, was working for Hakkal, the BLA’s media wing, while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
And on the darkest day in Pakistani history, regarding attacks on security forces in the length and breadth of Balochistan , 26 Aug 2024, in Lasbela, the bordering town of Sindh and Balochistan in the south, there were two suicide attacks at FC post and Police Station. One attack was conducted by a girl of age 23 only. Her name is Mahil Baloch, student of Turbat University and daughter of Hameed Baloch R/O district Gawader.
On March 03, 2025, another woman, Ganjatoon attacked the forces in Qalaat. She was young as a student of law , what she had told to her parents who shifted from Turbat to Gwadar.
In March 2022, the Counter terrorism Department (CTD) arrested three individuals including a woman allegedly linked to the attack on the Pakistan Air Force in Badaber in 2015.
In May 2022, a month after Karachi attack by Shari Baloch, a raid conducted in Balochistan’s Turbat region resulted in the arrest of another woman. The CTD claimed that the woman, Noor Jahan Baloch, was connected to the Baloch Liberation Army’s (BLA) Majeed Brigade group and planning a suicide attack.
Pakistani officials claimed that they arrested a woman among three suspects who are involved in attack on Chinese at Karachi airport on 06 Oct 2024.
As far as, the women’s involvement in suicide attacks in 2007 and 2011 is concerned, the factors that most of the opinion makers point out, were drone attacks in the then FATA and Lal Masjid operation.
Multiple Attacks in Balochistan – What , Where, How, Who, Why – by Tazeen Akhtar
Now when another wave of women suicide attacks is on, we need to see where are the root causes. Here are some possibilities that the security forces can work upon to deal with them accordingly;
1- BLA and other terrorists outfits blackmail the women after kidnapping them or taking hostage their children, brothers etc
2- Young girls are brainwashed on the pretext of their rights being exploited by the security forces and Punjab/ Islamabad
3- As Mahrang Baloch came in Islamabad with a large number of women and young girls on the issue of their missing relatives, one can see the possibility that the same women can join the terrorists in their desperation
4- Deprivation , backwardness, no means of earning, no industry etc. When the people do not find any employment , and offered work with separatists, they have no other way than shaking hands with outlaws. Like in Afghanistan for decades, the only job source was , to join any war lord.
5- CPEC, a confusion prevails on this so called game changer because the Baloch MPs say 2000 KM roads built in Punjab and Sindh but not 2 KM only in Balochistan that is the main reason of CPEC.
6- Ume Hassan of Lal Masjid was arrested for nothing, just on the issue of construction of a Madrassa in Islamabad , her students in large number were on protest. She has hundreds of students in KPK, Balochistan and other areas.
These students as they are already charged against the security forces , can be approached by the terrorists to be used as fuel for future. She has been released after many days of tension between lal masjid and gov.
KPK and Balochistan are continuously target of terrorism. A deprived person, man woman, can easily misled to take revenge. Our ruling class trumpeted , CPEC as the game changer for these backward areas but the locals could see nothing in their favor in last 10 long years of first phase of this flagship project.
Had they received some benefits , taking them to terrorism would not have been such an easy job. In Balochistan especially, the locals take it as colonization of their lands. See what has been happening in Gawader!
From Canada ?
Karima Mehrab Baloch, was mysteriously found dead in Canada in 2020. She had become the first female chairperson of Baloch Students Organization Azad (BSOA) after Zahid Baloch, its previous head, disappeared in 2014, but later appeared in Canada having asylum. In 2016, she was named one of the BBC’s 100 inspirational and influential women.
Shari and Sumaiya both were highly impressed by Karima Mehrab. Similarly we can see Mahil Baloch. These women were disturbed by the death of Karima Mehrab in Canada. They apparently, held Pakistan responsible for Karima’s death.
Canada ! home of Tahir ul Qadri who two times held citizens of Islamabad hostage with his sit inns for weeks staging protests against democratic governments.
Canada ! Asylum provider to Baloch separatists ……….. Gov of Pakistan has the guts to ask Canada why is that ?
Black Widows of Chechnya
In the early 2000s, Russia engaged in a violent war with its southern republic of Chechnya. The hostage crisis in a Moscow theatre in 2002 was characterised by female suicide bombers who the press named ‘Black Widows’ because many had lost their husbands during the conflict.
Kurdish Connection ?
In Jan 2018, female Kurdish fighter Zuluh Hemo age 20 carried out what appeared to be a suicide bombing attack on the Turkish military in Syria, destroying a tank and killing several Turkish soldiers with a grenade. In April 2020, at least 30 Turkish soldiers were killed when a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) woman fighter Sema Kocer aged 25 launched a suicide attack on a pipeline in Agri province near the Iran-Turkey border.
There are many other examples of women in Kurdish movement. Recently , Pakistani media shared that BLA’s commander Bashir Zeb has been killed in Iraq. Kurdistan movement claims a big territory in Iraq and Turkiye.
It means the suicide bombers in Balochistan including women have inspiration and connections with Kurdish struggle against Iraq and Turkiye. In recent visit of President Erdogan to Pakistan, both sides discussed cooperation against terrorism.
How Pakistan can cure this ailment in our society ?
1- Stop indiscriminate use of force
2- Do not open new pandora boxes like the arrest of Ume Hassan of Lal Masjid
3- Address the grievances of the women with Mahrang Baloch
4- Give tasks to local Police , Tehseel and Disrtict administrations to check the population in their respective territories
5- Political people MPAs MNAs Senators should feel their responsibility of addressing the grievances in their respective areas
In Balochistan, especially, Pakistan can use the political influence of the members of provincial and national assemblies, senators to reach out the women on protest individually and try to solve their problems. The women can be given some incentives in shape of financial assistance or jobs.
In KPK, the government of opposition PTI should be engaged in a dialogue on national security. Their leader should be given a free and fair trial. This will neutralize the political leaders of KPK and the center can utilize their good will in their respective territories to garner more support against the terrorists.
2 Main Incidents that instigated suicide attacks in 2 Provinces
General Musharraf used military force to crush the administration of Lal Masjid in Islamabad and disobedience of Akbar Bugti in Balochistan. There were killings at both places. Lal Masjid operation resulted in the beginning of suicide attacks in KPK while Akbur Bugti’s killing in a cave on a mountain added to the fire in Balochistan. Lets see how our national security decision makers deal with the complexity of the situation.
Afghanistan, India and other
No doubt our two neighbors have been and are running deep proxies and facilitating the terrorists in our country but still threatening or conducting attacks within their territories is not advisable.
This strategy has not served the purpose in the past. We are supposed to take care of our own border so that no terrorist can infiltrate inside Pakistan from East or West. As far as , Change in the Rules of the Game are concerned, what changed after APS Peshawar? So what we can expect now ?
(The writer is Editor of Pakistan in the World. He is continuously writing on Balochistan and women suicide bombers issues for long. He can be reached at tazeen303@gmail.com)
