At least six people, including four children, the bus driver and his assistant, were killed when a bomb targeted a school bus in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on May 21, 2025, local officials confirmed.
The attack occurred in the Khuzdar district while the bus was picking up children for the Army Public School, according to Yasir Iqbal Dashti, a government official in Khuzdar. At least 38 people were wounded in the blast, with several in critical condition.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti indicated that initial investigations suggested a “vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack” struck the bus that was carrying 46 students.
Critically injured children were being airlifted from Khuzdar to Quetta, the provincial capital, for emergency medical treatment, Bugti stated at a news conference. He emphasized that further investigations were ongoing to determine the exact nature of the attack.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Pakistan’s military condemned what it described as a “cowardly and ghastly attack” on innocent schoolchildren. In an official statement, the military accused “Indian terror proxies” of involvement, though no evidence was provided to support this assertion.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, attributing it to “terrorists working under Indian patronage” and extended sympathies to the families of the victims.
The Indian government promptly rejected these allegations. “This attempt to hoodwink the world is doomed to fail,” India stated, describing Pakistan’s accusations as baseless.
The targeted bus belonged to an Army Public School, part of a network of institutions operated by Pakistan’s military for children of both civilian and military personnel.
Authorities warned the death toll could rise given the severity of the explosion. Images from local media showed a charred bus frame at the roadside, with debris scattered across the area.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area but smallest by population, has experienced decades of conflict between the government and ethnic Baloch separatists who demand independence from Pakistan. Rich in minerals and natural resources, the province has been a hotspot for insurgent activity.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which Pakistan alleges is supported by neighboring India, frequently claims responsibility for attacks in the region, though India consistently denies these accusations.
This attack follows a car bombing on May 19, 2025, that killed four people near a market in Qillah Abdullah, also in Balochistan.
While separatist groups rarely target schoolchildren in Balochistan, similar attacks have occurred elsewhere in Pakistan. In one of its most deadly operations earlier this year, BLA fighters killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, during a train assault in Balochistan in March 2025.
Earlier this week, the BLA announced plans for more attacks on what they termed the “Pakistani army and its collaborators,” stating their goal was establishing “a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Kamal Hyder reported from Islamabad that Pakistan was taking the attack “very seriously,” noting that Pakistan and India routinely exchange accusations following cross-border incidents.
UNICEF issued a statement condemning the “horrific” attack and extended condolences to the families of the victims. The organization emphasized that attending school should never endanger children’s lives.
The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad also condemned what it described as a “brutal, unconscionable attack” in a statement released on social media platform X.
This incident evokes memories of one of Pakistan’s deadliest terrorist attacks, when Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants attacked the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014, killing more than 140 children.
While unusual for separatists to target schoolchildren specifically in Balochistan, Wednesday’s attack underscores escalating tensions in a region where schools operated by military establishments have occasionally become targets.
Security forces have cordoned off the area, with investigations continuing into the precise nature and perpetrators of the attack.
