A devastating blast targeting a school bus in Pakistan southwest Balochistan province has claimed the lives of at least four children, with 38 others injured. The attack occurred in the Khuzdar district, where a government official, Yasir Iqbal Dashti, confirmed that the school bus belonged to Army Public School and was attacked by a suicide bomber while picking up children in the morning.
“The enemy attacked innocent children with barbarity. The attack on the school bus is a heinous conspiracy of the enemy to create instability in the country,” said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a statement, expressing “deep sorrow and grief” over the loss of young lives. Authorities suspect the involvement of ethnic Baloch separatist outfits, which have a history of targeting security forces and civilians.
The Balochistan Liberation Army, designated a terrorist organization by the United States since 2019, may be linked to the attack. This incident highlights the region’s security situation, plagued by decades-old fighting and insurgency. With about 15 million people living in the southwest of the country, Balochistan is home to key mining projects but has been disturbed by violence.
In a similar incident in 2014, more than 130 children were killed in a rebel group attack on a military school in Peshawar, claimed by the outlawed Taliban armed group, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The latest attack’s death toll may increase due to the severity of the explosion.