Insurgency Crisis
Caption:Baloch Liberation Front’s Coercion of Women Unveils Brutal Tacticsin Insurgent Warfare
ISLAMABAD: The escalating insurgency in Balochistan has taken aparticularly harrowing turn with the revelation that Zarina Rafiq, knownamong militants as Trang Mahoo or Mahu Baloch, was coerced into executing asuicide bombing by the Baloch Liberation Front (BLF). This incident, whichoccurred on November 30, 2025, in the volatile district of Chagai,underscores the ruthless strategies employed by separatist groups toperpetuate their campaign against Pakistani security forces and foreigninvestments. Zarina, a young woman from a marginalized Baloch community,detonated an explosive device at the main gate of a Frontier Corps (FC)headquarters in Nokkundi, facilitating an assault that claimed the lives ofat least six security personnel, according to BLF claims.
Zarina Rafiq’s tragic involvement marks a disturbing milestone for the BLF,as it represents the organization’s inaugural deployment of a femalesuicide bomber—a tactic previously associated with the rival BalochLiberation Army’s (BLA) Majeed Brigade. Hailing from the impoverishedhinterlands of Balochistan, Zarina’s descent into militancy exemplifies theexploitative underbelly of insurgent recruitment. Reports indicate that shewas ensnared by BLF operatives through a web of psychological manipulationand extortion. Initially approached under the guise of community aid,Zarina was allegedly blackmailed with fabricated charges of espionageagainst Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), threats to herfamily’s safety, and promises of martyrdom that masked the grim reality offorced sacrifice. Insurgent handlers reportedly isolated her from hersupport network, subjecting her to relentless indoctrination sessions thatglorified violence while suppressing any dissent.
The BLF’s Saddo Operational Battalion (SOB), named after a fallencommander, orchestrated the operation with chilling precision. In aTelegram statement, BLF spokesperson Gwahram Baloch boasted that Zarina’sself-detonation breached the perimeter, allowing fighters to infiltrate thecompound housing staff for the contentious Saindak and Reko Diq miningprojects—ventures spearheaded by Chinese and Canadian firms that have longfueled separatist ire over resource exploitation. This attack not onlytargeted military assets but also served as a brazen warning tointernational investors, amplifying calls from Baloch diaspora leaders likeTara Chand of the Baloch American Congress to divest from the region amidongoing conflict.
Pakistani authorities have condemned the assault as a cowardly act ofterrorism, vowing intensified counter-insurgency measures. Securityanalysts point to a surge in such operations, with the Global TerrorismIndex 2025 ranking Pakistan second globally for terror impacts, largelyattributable to Baloch and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) activities. Yet,the coercion of vulnerable individuals like Zarina highlights a deepermalaise: the insurgents’ disregard for human life in pursuit of anseparatist agenda that has devastated Balochistan’s social fabric. Humanrights organizations have decried the BLF’s methods as akin to humantrafficking, urging international scrutiny on groups that prey ondisenfranchised women to advance their cause.
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As Balochistan grapples with this cycle of violence, the story of ZarinaRafiq serves as a stark indictment of extremism’s corrosive influence. Herexploitation reveals how militant outfits, under the banner of liberation,perpetuate bondage and despair. Pakistani officials must redouble effortsto address root grievances—economic marginalization and culturalsuppression—while dismantling networks that thrive on blackmail and fear.Only through inclusive dialogue and equitable development can the flames ofinsurgency be quenched, preventing more lives from being extinguished infutile blasts of rage.
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Source:www.theweek.in/news/world/2025/12/02/who-is-zareena-rafiq-aka-trang-mahoo-baloch-liberation-front-uses-woman-suicide-bomber-for-the-first-time.htmlog”>https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2025/12/02/who-is-zareena-rafiq-aka-trang-mahoo-baloch-liberation-front-uses-woman-suicide-bomber-for-the-first-time.htmlogimageimage-name