A deadly blast struck a school bus in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, resulting in the deaths of at least six people, including four children, and injuring 38 others. The attack occurred in the Khuzdar district as the bus was transporting students to the Army Public School, a military-run educational institution. Among the victims were the bus driver and his assistant, while 46 students were reportedly on board at the time of the explosion.

Authorities stated that the explosion was caused by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED), with initial investigations suggesting a suicide car bombing. The blast was powerful enough to cause critical injuries to several children, prompting emergency airlifts of the most severely wounded to Quetta, the provincial capital, for advanced medical treatment.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, but suspicion has fallen on ethnic Baloch separatist groups, which have a history of targeting security forces and civilians in the region. Balochistan has long been plagued by a separatist insurgency, with groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) frequently launching attacks against government and military targets. The attack comes just days after another car bombing in the province and amid a recent surge in violence, including a deadly train attack in March attributed to the BLA.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, describing it as a cowardly act of terrorism and, without providing evidence, accused India of backing the perpetrators. The Pakistani military echoed these allegations, calling the bombing a “cowardly and ghastly attack” allegedly orchestrated by Indian proxies in Balochistan. India’s government has categorically rejected these accusations as baseless.

Officials have warned that the death toll could rise due to the severity of the injuries sustained. The attack has drawn parallels to the 2014 massacre at the Army Public School in Peshawar, where more than 140 children were killed by militants, underscoring the persistent threat to educational institutions in Pakistan.

The latest incident highlights the ongoing instability in Balochistan, a mineral-rich province that has witnessed decades of conflict between the government and separatist groups seeking greater autonomy or independence. Security has been tightened in the aftermath, and authorities have launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact nature and perpetrators of the attack.

Based On ANI Report