8 hours ago
Last Updated:May 21, 2025, 14:23 IST
The latest attack came days after a car bombing killed four people near a market in Qillah Abdullah, a city in Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan
Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019. (Image: Representative)
At least five people, including three children, were killed and nearly 40 others injured after a school bus was targeted in a bomb blast in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Wednesday.
The incident took place in Khuzdar district when a bus transporting schoolchildren was hit by a suspected suicide car bombing. Authorities suspect the use of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), according to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry.
The army, in an official statement, condemned the attack as “cowardly" and “inhuman", confirming the deaths of three children and two adults. Meanwhile, Khuzdar Deputy Commissioner Yasir Iqbal reported 38 injuries, many of them schoolchildren, following the explosion near Zero Point. Initial figures had suggested that four children were among the dead.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his sorrow over the loss of innocent lives and directed security agencies to swiftly identify and apprehend those behind the assault. “Those responsible must be brought to justice," he said in a statement.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also denounced the attack, branding the perpetrators as “beasts" and vowing that such acts of terror would be met with zero tolerance.
No group has so far claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on Baloch separatist factions active in the province. Groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) have carried out similar attacks in the past, often targeting civilians, government officials, and infrastructure linked to Chinese-funded development under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The blast comes amid ongoing instability in Balochistan, a region long plagued by insurgency. Ethnic Baloch groups have accused the federal government of resource exploitation and political marginalization, fueling unrest for more than two decades.
Just days earlier, another car bombing killed four people near a market in Qillah Abdullah, also in Balochistan. In March, BLA militants launched one of the deadliest attacks this year, killing 33 people during an assault on a passenger train.
(With inputs from AP)
Location :Islamabad, Pakistan
First Published:News world 3 Children Among 5 Killed As Suicide Car Bomber Strikes School Bus In Balochistan
