Pakistan’s suicide bombers are getting younger and the terror groups target women and children for recruitment
Aruna Bahuguna,IPS, Director SVP National police Academy with Chris Elstoft, deputy high commissioner, professor Tracey Green, and other delegates at the inaugural session of the International Women in law enforcement conference at National police
Hyderabad: Pakistan’s suicide bombers are getting younger and the terror groups target women and children for recruitment. Apart from madrasas, youth wings of banned terror groups are still active in Pakistani universities, say Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, a leading researcher, writer and development consultant from Pakistan. Speaking at the international women’s law enforcement conference at the National Police Academy on Tuesday, she said counter-radicalisation was weak in Pakistan since women’s representation in the police is less. Since Ms Ahmad could not come to India, she addressed the audience through Skype.
“Many among the 48 banned terror organisations in Pakistan, target women. A few groups aim their ideology at women and children’s groups. In Swat district, a terror group runs programmes on an illegal radio station and talks about social justice and other issues to inspire women. Instead of stopping their sons from joining this outfit, the mothers not only send their young sons to join but even donate their ornaments to the terror outfit,” she said adding that a number of magazines for women and children were associated with banned organisations.
She said that in one failed suicide bombing in 2013, the suicide bomber was an eight-year-old child and his handler was 21 years old. “In another failed bombing, the bomber was a 14-year-old. When we interviewed the eight-year-old child, he said he believed that the jacket he was wearing had the capability to kill and injure others but not him,” Ms Ahmad said.
Talking about the representation of women in Pakistan police, Ms Ahmad said that the exact number of women officers in the police department was 3,824, or less than one per cent. “The lower ranked women officials are not given police duties. They work as computer operators or teachers despite being recruited in the police,” she said adding that some even have to work as personal helper of top cops. She said that an increased number of women in police department can bring a positive change in de-radicalisation since their presence can cause a positive change.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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