A bomb attack targeting a school bus in Pakistan’s Balochistan region has resulted in the deaths of at least five individuals and left many others injured.
According to police reports, a bus transporting approximately 40 school children detonated at approximately 07:40 local time (02:40 GMT) near the isolated town of Khuzdar.
According to police reports, three of the five individuals who lost their lives were children. Images shared across social media depict the burned remnants of a sizable bus, accompanied by scattered backpacks in the vicinity.
As of now, no group has come forward to take responsibility for the incident. Balochistan, located in the southwest of the country, continues to grapple with a persistent insurgency and ongoing human rights abuses.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has denounced the incident as “sheer barbarism,” labelling the attackers as “beasts who target children” in a bid to undermine the nation’s stability.
The military of the country has levelled accusations against neighbouring India and its alleged proxies in Balochistan for orchestrating the explosion, despite the absence of supporting evidence.
Pakistan and India are currently navigating the aftermath of a violent two-week conflict that was ignited by a militant assault on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan has refuted any claims of involvement in the recent attacks; however, India responded with a series of strikes targeting locations within Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
In early March, a tragic incident unfolded in Balochistan’s remote Sibi district, resulting in the deaths of 21 civilians and four military personnel during a train siege.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist organisation, has been responsible for the recent attack, continuing its long-standing campaign for independence that has persisted for decades.
Authorities in Pakistan, along with multiple Western nations such as the United Kingdom and the United States, have classified the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organisation.
The military of the country has previously labelled it as a “Indian proxy,” a characterisation that the BLA has firmly denied.
Baloch activists have levelled accusations against Pakistan’s security forces, alleging a series of atrocities committed by them.
Reports indicate that thousands of ethnic Baloch individuals have reportedly vanished at the hands of Pakistan’s security forces over the past twenty years. Allegations suggest these individuals were detained without proper legal procedures or were subjected to abduction, torture, and even death during operations aimed at quelling a long-standing separatist insurgency.
