The Woman Card: KAAD the Fraud
The Real Daughters of Balochistan Stand for Development, Education and Peace
Balochistan is not defined merely by its mountains, mineral wealth, vast geography and long coastline. Its name is equally connected with millions of families, students, teachers, doctors, lawyers, officers, politicians, scientists, artists, businesswomen and countless mothers who struggle every day to secure a better future for their children. According to the 2023 census, Balochistan has a population of approximately 14.89 million, including 7,125,471 women, who constitute around 47.8 percent of the province’s population. This enormous human force cannot be represented by any armed group, a handful of individuals or an isolated act of violence.
In recent days, reports and videos have emerged regarding the announcement by the proscribed terrorist organisation Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) of a women-only armed unit called the Karima Armed Assault Division (KAAD), along with its alleged activities. According to available reports, the BLF introduced the unit in September 2026 and linked it to armed operations. The organisation has been proscribed in Pakistan since 8 September 2010, while the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has also been listed as a proscribed organisation since 7 April 2006. The real question, however, is much larger than the existence of KAAD itself: can a handful of armed women, or an armed organisation using the name of women, legitimately claim to represent the women of Balochistan?
The answer can be found every day in the streets, universities, schools, hospitals, courts, government offices, businesses, sports grounds, literary gatherings, research institutions and homes across Balochistan. The real woman of Balochistan does not build her identity through a gun. She earns her place through education, character, professional competence, service and her contribution to the development of her family and society. This is why the attempt to present KAAD as the “representation of Baloch women” deserves serious scrutiny: it risks reducing the collective identity of millions of peaceful women of Balochistan to the narrative of an armed group.
The representation of a nation is not determined by who can inflict the most violence; it is determined by who has the ability to build its future. While reports may emerge of an armed organisation involving women in militant activities, millions of daughters of Balochistan are holding books. One is attending university in Quetta, Turbat, Khuzdar, Chaman, Gwadar, Sibi, Zhob, Loralai, Nasirabad or another city. Another is preparing to become a doctor at a medical college. One dreams of becoming a teacher; another prepares for competitive examinations; another acquires skills to start a business; and another is bringing honour to Balochistan on the sports field. This is the real face of Balochistan. That is why using women for terrorism is not merely a security concern; it is also a dangerous assault on women’s rights, dignity and collective identity. Turning a woman from a human being a mother, daughter, sister, student, teacher, doctor, officer, entrepreneur or leader into an “operational asset” diminishes her individuality and confines her potential. In a society where women’s education and abilities should be recognised as sources of strength, using them for violence is, in reality, an attack on their human potential.
The history and social traditions of Balochistan also demonstrate that women are not merely symbols of conflict. Baloch society has traditionally placed great value on honour, hospitality, courage, keeping one’s word, collective responsibility and respect for family. Differences have their place, political demands have their place, and struggles for rights have their place; but transforming disagreement into armed violence is destructive for any society. Political or social grievances should be addressed through political processes, dialogue, courts, parliament, journalism, education, research and peaceful struggle not through guns, explosives or suicide attacks. Islam accords extraordinary sanctity to human life. The Holy Qur’an establishes the profound moral principle that killing an innocent person is akin to killing all humanity. In light of this fundamental principle, taking any dispute to a point where the lives of innocent civilians, students, travellers, workers, public officials or ordinary families are placed at risk cannot be reconciled with Islamic ethics. Whether violence is committed in the name of religion or nationalism, dressing violence in the language of sanctity violates basic human morality. The Constitution of Pakistan likewise guarantees citizens the protection of life, liberty, equality and law. The right to disagree with the political or administrative system is one matter, but there is a fundamental distinction between expressing disagreement and engaging in armed terrorism. The constitutional path is to take grievances to institutions, seek representation, participate in elections, approach the courts, use journalism and intellectual debate, and organise public opinion peacefully.
Against this backdrop, another reality of Balochistan’s women becomes unmistakably clear. The province has produced women who have demonstrated their abilities in politics, parliament, administration, civil service, judiciary, education, medicine, literature, sports, science, the arts and numerous professional fields. The journeys of women such as Saira Atta, Amina Baloch, Ayesha Zahri, Sadaf Batool, Rihana Gul Kakr, Humaira Baloch, Tahira Safdar, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Haleena Saeed, Pari Gul, Shazia Sarwar, Batool Asadi, Maria Shimon and Roshan Khursheed Broacha, among countless others, demonstrate that the true strength of a Baloch woman lies in creation, competence and service. These examples point to a broader truth: the identity of a Baloch woman is far greater than the representation offered by any armed group. Nor should this reality be confined to a few prominent names. The lady doctor working in a remote district and treating patients under difficult conditions is a builder of Balochistan. So is the teacher educating girls in a rural school, the nurse serving patients during a night shift, the police officer protecting the law, the female government official serving the public, the businesswoman improving the economic condition of her household, the student who becomes the first person in her family to reach university, and the mother who ensures that both her son and daughter receive an education. These are the true builders of Balochistan. It is equally important not to attribute the actions of one individual to the entire Baloch nation or to all Baloch women. If a woman participates in an armed operation, she should be held accountable for her own actions. Likewise, if an organisation uses a woman for militant purposes, responsibility for that conduct should remain with the organisation rather than being transferred to the entire Baloch society. Responsibility for terrorism belongs to the individuals and organisations that commit it not to an entire nation, language or gender.
In the past, incidents have also been reported in which Baloch separatist armed groups used women in different roles. Proscribed and notorious terrorist organisations, including the Balochistan Liberation Army and the Balochistan Liberation Front, have reportedly involved women such as Shari Baloch, Karima Baloch, Mahal Baloch, Samia Qalandarani, Asifa Mengal, Hawa Baloch, Khadija, Safia, Zareena Rafiq and Shehnaz Baloch in various forms of militant activity. Yet one fundamental principle must not be ignored: the alleged terrorist activity of an individual does not represent that person’s gender. If one woman engages in terrorism, it does not mean that Baloch women support terrorism. Likewise, if a man commits terrorism, it would be equally wrong to label all Baloch men as terrorists. Societies should not be judged by the crimes of individuals but by their collective character and aspirations.
Recent reports regarding KAAD similarly indicate that the BLF itself has presented it as an organised female armed structure, while various sources have reported training footage and alleged operations. The BLF claimed operations in the Turbat and Kalat areas in September 2026, although some important aspects of those claims have not been independently verified. The meaning of “fraud” in this context also needs to be understood carefully. If KAAD is presented as the voice of all women of Balochistan or as the collective representation of Baloch women, such a claim is unacceptable because the limited membership of an armed organisation cannot represent an entire society of more than seven million women. At the same time, claiming that the unit does not exist at all would be a stronger assertion than the available information can safely support and therefore requires caution. A more accurate and effective position is that portraying KAAD as the representative force of Balochistan’s women is misleading. This distinction matters greatly because a national narrative becomes stronger when it rests firmly on facts. The real strength of Balochistan’s women becomes visible when a daughter pursues education despite the traditional difficulties facing her family. It becomes visible when a student dreams of becoming an engineer, when a doctor returns to her district to serve her people, when a teacher educates hundreds of children, when a lawyer provides legal assistance, when an officer fulfils her responsibilities within a state institution, and when a businesswoman creates employment opportunities for other women.
That’s why the attempt by terrorist organisations to recruit women into their ranks directly conflicts with the genuine social progress of Balochistan’s women. On one side stand efforts to expand women’s opportunities in education, employment, political participation and decision-making. On the other are attempts to use them for violence, armed operations and propaganda. One path leads towards life; the other leads towards death and destruction. We must also consider what terrorism means for an ordinary female student. What happens to her future when her city becomes unsafe? What does a mother lose when her child feels afraid while going to school? How can a teacher perform her duty freely when violence threatens her area? How can a businesswoman invest when roads, markets and communication networks are insecure? Terrorism does not harm only one individual; it wounds the entire economic, educational and social environment. Therefore, every plan to promote violence in the name of Balochistan’s women is ultimately an obstacle to women’s development. If an area faces genuine problems, those problems must not be denied. Balochistan requires sustained attention in education, healthcare, employment, water, infrastructure, political participation, local government, opportunities for youth, fair participation in mineral resources and the rule of law. But the existence of problems can never justify terrorism.
If a family faces a problem, the house is not set on fire; it is improved through dialogue, reform and cooperation. The same principle applies to a larger society. Balochistan’s young people need opportunities, not guns. Its female students need books, not explosives. Its universities need research, not threats. Its markets need investment, not fear. Its families need employment and prosperity, not funerals. Above all, the women of Balochistan deserve the right to advance with their genuine identities rather than being turned into symbols of an armed organisation’s propaganda. At this point, a collective responsibility emerges. The narrative against terrorism must be framed in a manner that keeps the people of Balochistan separate from terrorism. A Baloch citizen is not a terrorist; the person or organisation that commits terrorism is a terrorist. Baloch women are not the property of any armed organisation; they are constitutional citizens of Pakistan and independent architects of their own future. This distinction strengthens national unity and weakens the claim of terrorist organisations that they speak on behalf of an entire nation. So, if someone asks who the real woman of Balochistan is, the answer will not be found in a KAAD video. It will be found in the little girl walking to school with a book in her hands. It will be found in the student preparing for a university examination. It will be found in the doctor treating patients in a hospital. It will be found in the teacher shaping the future inside a classroom. It will be found in the police officer protecting the law and the government official serving the public.
It will be found in the athlete raising the name of Balochistan, in the writer and artist preserving the culture of her society, and in the businesswoman creating economic opportunities for her family and other women. And it will be found in the millions of mothers who want nothing more for their children than a future built on peace, education and dignity. This is the real voice of Balochistan. An organisation that puts a gun in a woman’s hands instead of a book is not building Balochistan’s future; it is narrowing the possibilities of an entire generation. A narrative that leads young people towards violence instead of education is not a narrative of national freedom; it is a narrative of destroying human potential.
And anyone who attempts to define all the women of an entire province through the actions of a few armed individuals is doing injustice to the millions of dreams that belong to Balochistan. The more than seven million women of Balochistan do not need an armed group to represent them. They have their own voices, their own abilities, their own identities and their own futures. The judgment should therefore be based on a simple question: who is sending Balochistan’s children to school? Who is building hospitals? Who is standing in courts for justice? Who is creating knowledge? Who is generating employment? Who is serving the country and the province? And who is choosing the path of death, fear and destruction? If the standard of representation is construction, then the true representative of Balochistan is the woman who is building. If the standard is the future, then the genuine voice is the woman who educates her daughter. If the standard is peace, then the authentic voice is the mother who places a book in her child’s hands instead of a gun. And if the standard is Balochistan’s development, the conclusion is unmistakable: the real daughters of Balochistan are those who stand for life, education, peace, law, knowledge, service and progress not those who attempt to turn the name of women into an identity of violence. This is the distinction that separates the real women of Balochistan from the artificial narrative of terrorism, and it is a distinction that deserves to be made clear to the world. Every home has problems, but problems cannot be solved by taking up arms. Violence is a blatant violation of Islam, the Constitution of Pakistan and Baloch values, and it is wholly unacceptable.
The country cannot be handed over to terrorists while the destiny of innocent, constructive and peace-loving people is destroyed. The comparison is before us: who truly represents the Baloch people the women involved in terrorism, or the women working day and night for the development, education, peace and prosperity of Balochistan? The answer should be clear to everyone.