Hassan Ahmad
Surging terrorism in Pakistan is posing complicated challenges meriting more focused counter efforts in addition to kinetic operations. Indoctrination of women for hardcore terrorist attacks like suicide bombing is emerging as a new norm in the terror ecosystem built by the banned groups, i.e., Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) and their numerous splinter groups. Initially, this trend was brought in by the heinous terror spree by a splinter group of the banned BLA (Majeed Brigade) known for deep linkage with the Indian RAW-sponsored network.Balochistan tourism
Though alarming, but not surprising for many, that the banned TTP has started following the footsteps of BLA in exploiting the females for suicide bombing inside Pakistan. This similarity in strategy further substantiates Pakistan’s stance that the handlers of these terrorist groups are the same. The recent foiling of a suicide terror plot in KP province disclosed that a lady was assigned the execution of the attack on the ground.
The Counterterrorism Department (CTD) KP claimed the successful busting of a big terror plan by arresting a would-be female suicide bomber during an operation in Dera Ismail Khan. As per initial intimations made by CTD authorities, the action was carried out on verified intelligence received from the relevant local tentacles. Acting on a tip-off, CTD Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams conducted a raid in Yousaf Sheikh Khema Basti, where they apprehended a young woman allegedly preparing for a suicide attack.
Though the name of the suspect has been kept secret, she happens to be a resident of Waziristan. During initial interrogation, she confessed to an association with a banned terrorist outfit which tasked her to carry out a suicide attack. This piece of information from the initial interrogation provides sufficient ground to guess the upcoming revelations about recruitment, exploitation, indoctrination and merciless use of women in terror plots. The use of women is a calculated strategy to exploit cultural norms, as women in Pakistan are less likely to be subjected to rigorous security checks, making it easier for them to approach targets undetected.
The banned BLA and TTP use different ideologies and methods to indoctrinate women for suicide bombings, often exploiting vulnerability, psychological manipulation, and specific propaganda to their respective ends.
The banned BLA and TTP use different ideologies and methods to indoctrinate women for suicide bombings, often exploiting vulnerability, psychological manipulation, and specific propaganda to their respective ends. The BLA primarily utilises online radicalisation, sub-nationalist narratives, and psychological manipulation, often targeting educated women from urban, middle-class backgrounds. The TTP focuses more on religious justifications, anti-patriarchal messaging (within their specific framework), and community influence, often involving families in the process.
BLA uses videos, songs, and stories that glorify past female suicide bombers (like Shari Baloch and Zareena Rafiq), portraying them as icons of “resistance” and “freedom” for the Baloch cause. This narrative frames their actions as an honourable and recognised act within the community. Coercion and blackmail are also part of the terror toolkit. Testimonies from rescued individuals (like Adila Baloch) suggest that some women are coerced or blackmailed into carrying out attacks, challenging the narrative that all participation is voluntary. The banned TTP employs religious narratives, urging women to participate in Jihad with promises of Jannah (heaven) and the status of shaheed (martyr).
Terror groups manipulate and twist the interpretation of religious texts and teachings to justify violence. In short, both terrorist groups exploit existing societal vulnerabilities and use women for their strategic advantage, aiming for increased visibility and the ability to bypass security measures due to prevailing gender norms. Besides conducting successful, expeditious counter-terror operations, all patriotic stakeholders are now required to move forward with more deliberations to tackle the negative psychological impacts intended by the handlers of banned terrorist groups. Anti-Pakistan groups are getting support from hostile foreign players in the form of sophisticated weapons, terrorist training, huge finances and latest propaganda tools enabled on digital and social media platforms. Dubious pressure groups (like BYC and PTM) have dedicated all their energies to digital platforms in spreading the ethnic venom.
On one hand, such destructive manoeuvres are diverting attention from foreign-sponsored terrorism and on the other hand, very cleverly portraying the Indian sponsored terrorists as representatives of the deprived masses belonging to the backward areas. It is about time to expose the real face of those who exploit women for terrorism through indoctrination, coercion and blackmail.
The writer is a student.
