Mahal Baloch, the female suicide bomber detained by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) in Quetta was forced to support the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), according to reports on Sunday.
Details indicate that Mahal Baloch was used and compelled to support the BLF’s terrorist wing.
She had been separated from her children and forced into a suicide bomber in yet another incidence of Baloch mothers and sisters being used for sinister reasons by militant groups.
The BLF’s propaganda portraying Mahal as a missing person has also been exposed on social media. The Balochistan Post’s tweets were used to build a false narrative against Pakistani security personnel.
Mahal’s husband, Bebegar Baloch alias Nadeem, belonged to the armed wing of BLF while her father, Muhammad Hussain, belongs to the central committee of the Baloch National Movement (BNM).
Bebegar and his brother Noqab were among the closest associates of BLF commanders. These commanders include Wahid Bakhsh Qambar, BLF leader Dr. Allah Nazar, Dilip Shikhari, and BNM Chairman Ghulam Nabi Hebtan.
In 2016, Bebegar and Noqab died in a dispute over money and weapons.
The arrest
The CTD, together with other sensitive agencies, apprehended Mahal on Friday, thwarting the attack.
They discovered a suicide vest with four to five kilos of explosive stuff attached to it in her handbag.
According to the Balochistan CTD spokesperson, the accused suicide bomber planned to assault critical installations or security troops in Quetta.
FIR No 09/2023 U/S 4-5 Exp, 11F(1)(2)(6)-11I-11N-07 ATA was lodged against the suspect at the CTD Police Station in Quetta. The accused was accordingly produced before a court of law for physical custody.
An investigation was launched to arrest the remaining members of the network and more raids were planned in other areas of Balochistan.
