A suicide bombing targeting a military-operated school bus in Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan province killed at least five people—including three children—and injured several others, the country’s military confirmed on Wednesday.
The attack occurred in the Khuzdar district as the bus was transporting approximately 40 students to an army-run educational institution. Authorities say the bomber struck during the morning commute, causing a powerful blast that left the vehicle mangled and debris scattered across the road.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif swiftly condemned the attack and, alongside military officials, accused what he described as “Indian terror proxies” of orchestrating the bombing. No evidence was publicly provided to support the allegation, and India has not yet responded.
The bombing comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who reached a shaky ceasefire agreement on May 10 after a dangerous military escalation earlier this year. Despite the truce, both governments have continued to accuse each other of supporting cross-border insurgencies—charges both routinely deny.
No group has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, but its targeting of schoolchildren drew comparisons to the 2014 massacre in Peshawar, where militants from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killed more than 130 children in one of the country’s deadliest terror incidents.
Balochistan, the country’s largest yet least populated province, remains a flashpoint for violence. Long-standing ethnic and political grievances, combined with separatist and militant activity, have contributed to frequent unrest. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent months, including a deadly train ambush in March that killed 31 people.
The latest bombing has reignited concerns over security in the province, which plays a strategic role in regional energy and infrastructure projects but continues to grapple with instability and conflict.
