Suicide bomber targets school bus in Pakistan, killing five

The incident occurred near the city of Khuzdar while the bus was transporting students to a school run by the military, said local deputy commissioner Yasir Iqbal. Security forces quickly secured the site, and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Television footage showed the bus severely damaged and debris strewn across the road.

Though no group immediately claimed responsibility, suspicion has fallen on Baloch separatist groups, particularly the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has carried out numerous attacks in the region. The United States designated the BLA a terrorist organization in 2019.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the bombing, calling it a “barbaric act” targeting innocent children and vowed that the attackers would be held accountable. Initial reports said four children had died, but officials later confirmed that two adults were also among the deceased. Several of the wounded children remain in critical condition, raising fears that the death toll may rise.

The Pakistani military issued a statement calling the attack "cowardly and horrific," blaming neighboring India and alleging that the attack was carried out by Indian-backed groups operating in Balochistan. Indian authorities have not commented, but India has repeatedly denied supporting the BLA or any other separatist movement in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed the military’s allegations, claiming the attack demonstrated India’s animosity toward education in Balochistan. He pledged to bring those responsible to justice but provided no evidence to support his claim.

Tensions between Pakistan and India have been rising, particularly since recent escalations over the disputed Kashmir region. In that context, the BLA has even publicly appealed for Indian support—though India has not responded.

Despite being Pakistan's largest province in terms of land area, Balochistan remains sparsely populated and is home to the country's ethnic Baloch minority, many of whom allege systemic discrimination by the central government.

Violence in the province is not uncommon. In March, the BLA claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a train in Balochistan, killing 33 people, mostly military personnel. More recently, the group announced plans for continued operations targeting the Pakistani military and its allies, asserting their aim to establish an independent and stable Balochistan.

While targeting schoolchildren is rare for separatist groups in Balochistan, such attacks have occurred elsewhere in Pakistan. In a grim reminder, the Pakistani Taliban carried out a massacre at a military-run school in Peshawar in 2014, killing 154 people, mostly children.

In Pakistan, most educational institutions are operated by the government or private entities, although the military also runs many schools for both civilians and military families, reports UNB.