Four children were killed in Pakistan on Wednesday morning, following accusations against India for a suspected suicide bombing targeting a school bus in the southwestern Balochistan province.
The bus was en route to the Army Public Schools in Kuzdar city when the assailants reportedly drove into it, triggering an explosion.
Yasir Dashti, a deputy committee member from Khuzdar, mentioned that in addition to the four fatalities, a bus driver and a security guard also lost their lives, with 12 other children suffering serious injuries. Preliminary investigations suggest it was indeed a suicide attack.
The deceased children were identified as 12-year-olds Hifsa Kausar and Sania Somroom, as well as 16-year-old Esha Saleem. Details about the fourth child who died remain unclear.
No extremist group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident. However, the military media wing in Pakistan quickly accused neighboring India of orchestrating the attack, describing it as “planned and coordinated.”
The military’s statement labeled India’s actions as a form of “terrorism,” emphasizing that such attacks target vulnerable groups, including children.
This accusation arises at a particularly tense moment in India-Pakistan relations, which have seen heightened hostilities. Just this month, the two nuclear nations were on the brink of war, exchanging drone and missile strikes across borders before a ceasefire was declared on May 10th.
This recent conflict had also escalated into an attack in India-controlled Kashmir in April, resulting in 26 casualties. The Indian government retaliated with missile strikes against groups it claims are backed by Pakistan, targeting what it considers terrorist infrastructure.
In the wake of the ceasefire, India indicated that any future acts of terrorism on its soil would be treated as declarations of war.
Pakistan has denied its involvement in last month’s violent events in Kashmir, even as it has faced a series of militant attacks, particularly in regions like Balochistan and Kyber Paktunkhwa, which India has vocally critiqued.
The government of Pakistan has frequently accused India of employing extremist factions to undermine its stability through coordinated attacks.
Balochistan, long troubled by insurgency, has seen a rise in violence attributed to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), known for suicide bombings and other severe incidents, including a recent train hijacking. Additionally, attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, have surged in Afghanistan and neighboring Kyber Paktunkhwa.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed the military’s critiques, condemning India for the school bus attack. He stated that terrorists operating “under Indian auspices” attacking children was clear evidence of hostility.
Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind characterized the incident as “a horrifying face of Indian state-sponsored terrorist attacks.”
This attack evokes painful memories of a previous incident over a decade ago, when the TTP attacked an army public school in Peshawar, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 children—one of the most tragic extremist attacks on children in the history of Pakistan.
