Khuzdar, Balochistan – A day meant for learning turned into a scene of unspeakable tragedy in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, as a suicide car bombing ripped through a school bus, claiming the lives of four innocent children and leaving 38 others wounded. The horrific attack unfolded in Khuzdar district as the bus was on its morning route, ferrying young students to school, confirmed local deputy commissioner Yasir Iqbal.
While the perpetrators remain unidentified as of now, authorities are quick to point towards ethnic Baloch separatist groups, whose violent campaign in the region has a grim history of targeting both security forces and the civilian population.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi minced no words in his condemnation, expressing profound grief over the devastating loss. Denouncing the attackers as “beasts,” Naqvi stated, “This is sheer barbarism. Targeting innocent children shows the enemy’s inhuman mindset and such perpetrators deserve no mercy.”
The attack serves as a stark reminder of the escalating security challenges in Balochistan, a region caught in the grip of a protracted insurgency and militant violence. Among the key players in this conflict is the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group that has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States since 2019.
This latest act of terror follows closely on the heels of another deadly bombing in Qillah Abdullah district, near the Afghan border, which resulted in four fatalities and 20 injuries. That blast, near Jabbar Market and adjacent to the Frontier Corps Fort, also triggered a brief but intense exchange of gunfire between unidentified assailants and FC personnel.
Adding to the grim tally, just weeks prior, on May 6, seven Pakistani soldiers met their demise in Balochistan when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED). The BLA was also implicated in that ambush, painting a grim picture of the ongoing violence plaguing the region.
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