Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti has claimed that Pakistani security forces foiled a major attack by detaining a woman allegedly preparing to carry out a suicide bombing.
Speaking at a press conference in Quetta on Monday, Bugti presented a young woman before the media and stated that she had been assigned a “suicide mission” targeting a location in Islamabad. According to the chief minister, intelligence agencies intervened in time and prevented the alleged attack.
Bugti stated that the woman belonged to Turbat district in Balochistan and had allegedly received training at a militant camp. He further claimed that she had been subjected to blackmail and pressure to participate in the planned attack.
“We are handing her over to her father,” the chief minister said during the press conference.
However, local sources and activists have identified the woman as Hair Nisa Waheed, who they say had previously been subjected to enforced disappearance from Hub Chowki in Balochistan.
According to local accounts, Pakistani security forces carried out a raid on a house in the Ganji Ghot area near Daro Hotel in Hub Chowki during the early hours of 20 December last year. Two women — identified as Hair Nisa Waheed and Hani — were reportedly taken into custody during the operation.
Family members and local sources state that Hani was released on 26 January, while Hair Nisa remained missing until her appearance at the Quetta press conference.
Reports further stated that two young men from a family in Turbat, identified as Mujahid and Fareed, were also detained during the same period.
The case has renewed debate in Balochistan regarding allegations of enforced disappearances and the public presentation of detainees in counter-terrorism cases. Rights groups and local observers have previously raised concerns over what they describe as “media trials” involving women who were earlier reported missing.
Several similar cases have emerged in recent years. Among them is the case of Farzana Zehri from Khuzdar, who was allegedly subjected to enforced disappearance before later being presented by authorities as an alleged suicide bomber during a government-arranged press conference.
Another widely discussed case involved Rahima Bibi from Dalbandin, who was reportedly detained along with her brother during a raid on their home and later presented publicly as an alleged facilitator of a suicide bombing after several months in custody.
Observers have also referenced the case of Mahal Baloch, who was previously presented by the Balochistan government as an alleged suicide bomber but was later acquitted and released following court proceedings.