May 21, 2025
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
A school bus was targeted in a terrorist blast near Zero Point in Khuzdar district, Balochistan, killing six —including three female students—and injuring at least 43 others. Most of the wounded are schoolchildren, with at least 10 reported to be in critical condition.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the attack was planned by terrorists that were operating under Indian patronage.
“Following its failures on the battlefield, India is now waging a proxy war in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” said the press release. The ISPR stated that the assault on the school bus had been masterminded in India and executed by its proxies in Balochistan.
Having failed in Operation Bunyan al Marsoos and being hunted by military and law enforcement agencies, these Indian terror proxies are being employed as a state tool by India to foment terrorism in Pakistan against soft targets such as innocent children and civilians, said ISRP. ‘The planners, abettors and executors of this cowardly Indian sponsored attack will be hunted down and brought to justice and the heinous face of India will be exposed in front of the entire world. Pakistan Armed Forces with support of brave Pakistani nation, stand united to uproot Indian sponsored terrorism from Pakistan in its all manifestations,’ the ISPR said.
Students martyred
Security sources confirmed the identities of three martyred female students as Sania Sumro, a sixth-grade student, Hafza Kausar, in seventh grade, and Ayesha Saleem, a tenth-grader. A male student also died in the bus explosion.
The bus driver and helper were also among those who were killed, while the critically injured were airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Quetta for emergency treatment.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti held an emergency press conference in Quetta, condemning the attack as a ‘dark day for the province’.
“This is not a battlefield—this is pure cowardice,” Bugti said. “Innocent girls, their eyes full of dreams, were bathed in blood today. We knew India was plotting terrorism in Balochistan, but we never imagined the enemy could stoop so low as to target schoolchildren.”
This is the school bus India’s terrorism attacked today in Khuzdar, Balochistan. Four children martyred. 44 injured, many with life-threatening injuries. This is what Modi’s mad men do. This is what India stands for. pic.twitter.com/tdf1ox51dT
— Syed Talat Hussain (@TalatHussain12) May 21, 2025
He accused India of avenging its military defeats by attacking Pakistan’s future generations.”This is not a war for rights; these are India-funded terrorists killing their own children. They have crossed every line—now, we will show no restraint,” he said.
CM Bugti also called out the Taliban for failing to uphold the Doha Agreement, under which Afghanistan pledged not to allow its soil to be used for terrorism. “Every attack in Balochistan traces back to Afghan soil. We have shown patience, but no more.”
Targeted counterterrorism ops
Bugti ruled out large-scale military operations, vowing instead to conduct ‘precise, smart operations’ to eliminate terrorists. “Whether these terrorists include women or not, they will find no mercy. The public does not support them—they fear them. And we will end that fear,” he said.
The attack has sparked nationwide outrage, with calls for decisive action against cross-border terrorism. Authorities have pledged to intensify counterterrorism efforts while ensuring civilian safety.
Attack condemned
Meanwhile the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemned the heinous attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, which left several children dead and injured, apart from the many others.
“The deliberate targeting of schoolchildren—innocent noncombatants in every sense—is a red line that must never be crossed,” said HRCP’s statement. ” This act violates the most basic tenets of humanity and international humanitarian law. The continued failure of the federal and provincial governments to prevent such attacks highlights serious and persistent lapses in providing security to common citizens. The state has an obligation to uphold law and order by strengthening civilian institutions and the rule of law—not through indiscriminate kinetic responses. HRCP calls for the immediate identification and prosecution of the perpetrators and their enablers through lawful means. We also stress the urgent need for a meaningful political dialogue to address the deep-rooted problems of representation, governance and resource distribution in Balochistan.”
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the attack saying targeting innocent children of the Army Public School was ‘a despicable and inhuman act, beneath all moral and human values’.
“This cowardice against our children is an attack on the soul of Pakistan. Innocent lives, full of dreams, extinguished in an instant. We share in the grief of the bereaved families. Pakistan will bring those responsible to light and to justice, swiftly and decisively. This barbarity will never break our resolve,” he posted on X.
The US Embassy also gave its comments, saying, “We join Pakistan’s leaders in condemning the brutal, unconscionable attack on a school bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan. The murder of innocent children is beyond comprehension. We grieve with the families who lost loved ones, and our thoughts are with those recovering. No child should ever fear going to school. We stand with those in Pakistan working to end this violence.”