Khuzdar, Pakistan – A deadly attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, has claimed the lives of five individuals, including three children, prompting strong condemnation from Pakistani authorities and allegations of Indian involvement.
According to a statement released by Pakistan’s military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the school bus was deliberately targeted by militants with alleged links to India. The explosion left numerous children injured, with at least 35 students requiring medical attention.
“This cowardly and heinous attack was orchestrated by Indian-sponsored proxies operating in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said the ISPR. “After repeated battlefield failures, India is resorting to terrorism and instability in Pakistan through such proxies.”
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The military added that these groups, weakened by counterterrorism operations such as Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, are now being used as “state instruments” to target civilians, particularly soft targets like schoolchildren. “India’s use of terrorism as a tool of state policy reflects a disturbing disregard for basic human values and international norms,” the statement added.
The ISPR vowed that those responsible for the attack, along with their facilitators, would be brought to justice and that India’s “malicious agenda” would be exposed globally.
Earlier, Khuzdar Deputy Commissioner Yasir Dashti told local media that the school bus, belonging to Army Public School (APS), was collecting students from various locations when it was attacked near the city by a suspected suicide bomber. “The blast completely destroyed the bus. It was so powerful that the vehicle overturned off the road and caught fire,” said an eyewitness speaking to Independent Urdu.
Security forces and emergency responders quickly reached the scene and began rescue operations. Injured students were transported to local hospitals, while critically wounded individuals may be transferred to larger facilities in Quetta or Karachi. An emergency has been declared in hospitals across Khuzdar.
Authorities have cordoned off the area, and forensic teams are collecting evidence. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of now.
This is not the first time Army Public School students have been targeted. On December 16, 2014, one of Pakistan’s deadliest terrorist attacks occurred when gunmen stormed APS in Peshawar, killing over 144 people, most of them children.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned Wednesday’s bombing. “Those who target innocent children are nothing short of monsters. Such brutality is part of a broader attempt to destabilize our nation,” he said. “The attack on the school bus is a grim reminder of the enemy’s barbaric intentions.”
Security has been heightened across the region, and investigations are ongoing.
