Quetta: Authorities have confirmed the identity of the female suicide bomber involved in the attack on the Frontier Corps (FC) Headquarters in Nokundi, Balochistan. The attacker has been identified as Zareena Rafiq Baloch, also known by the alias Tarang Mahoo. The Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) has publicly released a photograph of the bomber and claimed responsibility for the incident.
Preliminary reports indicate that the suicide bomber detonated herself at the main gate of the FC Headquarters. Security agencies have launched a comprehensive investigation to trace the network responsible for orchestrating and facilitating the attack.
Security experts and analysts have expressed deep concern over the systematic exploitation of young people and educators by proscribed militant organisations in Balochistan. Both the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the BLF have increasingly targeted students from universities and colleges, as well as lecturers and other academic faculty, luring them into extremist networks. These individuals are then coerced or manipulated into participating in terrorist operations against state institutions.
Officials say that these militant groups employ a combination of ideological indoctrination, online propaganda, and personal coercion to recruit impressionable youth and professional educators alike. Once recruited, these individuals are often isolated from their families and academic communities, trained, and used in reconnaissance, logistics, and high-impact attacks, including suicide operations.
Recent investigations have revealed alarming trends of faculty members being radicalised within academic institutions, subsequently facilitating the recruitment of students and acting as intermediaries in extremist networks. This exploitation of the education system poses a significant threat not only to Balochistan but to Pakistan’s broader security environment.
The attack on FC Nokundi underscores the urgent need for coordinated counter-terrorism measures that integrate intelligence gathering, community engagement, and protection of educational institutions from extremist influence. Senior officials emphasised that the involvement of both students and faculty in militant operations highlights the sophisticated recruitment strategies of the BLA and BLF.
The government has reiterated its commitment to dismantling terrorist networks through intelligence-led operations, strict monitoring of vulnerable areas, and awareness campaigns aimed at preventing radicalisation among youth and educators. Security agencies have vowed to bring the perpetrators and their facilitators to justice while strengthening safeguards across schools, colleges, and universities.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the Nokundi attack and the networks behind it, stressing that ongoing vigilance, both within communities and educational institutions, is essential to counter the growing threat of militancy in Balochistan.
