Militants are using token sums of money to lure impoverished youth to carry out bombings.
A young would-be suicide bomber has told investigators that militants are using monetary rewards to lure youths to commit bombings.
Shoaib Akhtar was arrested April 20 after trying to plant a bomb near a police check-post in Badhaber village, Peshawar District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), police said.
In the ensuing interrogation, he said the militants paid him Rs. 1,000 (US $10), case investigator Taj Muluk told Central Asia Online.
Pakistanis outraged that militants think they can 'buy' loyalty
That the militants are using money to bring youths to their cause is giving Pakistanis more reason to hate how the insurgents operate.
"I can simply say it's the worst example of destroying the human race, unknowingly pushing [these youngsters] into hell," said Shagufta Malik, a female former member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and an ANP leader.
It is yet another example, religious scholars say, of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants skewing the tenets of Islam to achieve their ends.
Shoaib trained to become a suicide bomber at Nala Kajori, a Lashkar-e-Islam stronghold, along with other teens, Taj said.
The Bara-based militant group that recruited and trained him ordered him to plant a bomb near the Badhaber police check-post to test his ability and commitment before he could "graduate" to carrying out a suicide bombing.
The militants offer money and other benefits to poverty-stricken teens and their parents, Taj quoted the youth as saying.
After a preliminary investigation, Shoaib appeared before a Peshawar court May 3. The court handed him back to police for further investigation.
Citizens try to prevent youth from joining militants
Pakistanis have condemned militants for taking advantage of the country's youth, and some are calling for the country to take a more active role in countering the strategy.
The willingness of these children to carry out bombings for Rs. 1,000 shows the extent of their desperation, Peshawar-based researcher and human rights defender Farhat Khan said, stressing the need for the country to take a more active role in giving youth more hope for their futures.
Academicians, journalists and teachers play a vital role in educating youngsters against terrorist elements, Voice for Children of Islamabad Chairman Azhar Niaz said, noting that they should work with parents to ensure that children are learning proper principles at home.
Training children in useful skills also would be helpful, foMalik said, adding that such skill sets would improve their job prospects.
The KP Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010 is an effective piece of legislation for handling such problems, KP Child Protection Commission deputy chief Ejaz Ahmad said. "Child Protection Units have been established in 11 districts of KP to protect children from being used for terrorist activities," he said.
The commission not only protects children against such atrocities but also works to rehabilitate them and return them to normal life.
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