A suicide attack on a school bus in Pakistan’s Balochistan province killed six people and injured 38 others on May 21, 2025, according to Pakistani officials. The attack occurred at approximately 7:40 a.m. local time in the city of Khuzdar as the vehicle transported children to the Army Public School.
Three children and two adults were confirmed dead in the blast, with Pakistani military officials identifying the victims as students aged 12 and 16, along with the bus driver and a security guard. The children killed were named as 12-year-old Hifsa Kausar, 16-year-old Esha Saleem and 12-year-old Sania Somroo. Officials reported that 46 students were aboard the bus when the attack occurred.
Yasir Iqbal Dashti, a government official from Khuzdar district, confirmed the casualty figures and described the incident as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack. Initial investigations indicated that an attacker drove an explosive-laden vehicle into the school bus before detonating the bomb. The explosion completely destroyed the bus, with photographs showing charred wreckage and scattered backpacks at the scene.
The targeted bus belonged to the Army Public School network, which operates educational institutions across Pakistan for children of military personnel. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti indicated that critically injured children were being airlifted from Khuzdar to Quetta for medical treatment. Several victims remained in critical condition, with authorities expressing concern that the death toll could rise.
Pakistan’s military quickly accused India of orchestrating the attack through proxy groups, though no evidence was provided to support these claims. The Inter-Services Public Relations stated that “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.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed these accusations, claiming terrorists operating under Indian patronage were responsible for the assault.
India’s foreign ministry rejected what it described as baseless allegations regarding Indian involvement. A spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the accusations were attempts “to hide its own gross failings.” The spokesperson added that India condemned the loss of lives but characterized Pakistan’s claims as efforts to divert attention from its reputation as a global epicenter of terrorism.
No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Balochistan has experienced decades of separatist insurgency, with groups like the Balochistan Liberation Army conducting attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilian targets. The BLA, designated as a terrorist organization by Pakistan and several Western countries including the United States and United Kingdom, has claimed responsibility for previous major attacks in the region.
The attack occurred during heightened tensions between Pakistan and India following a recent conflict in Kashmir. Earlier in May 2025, the two nuclear-armed nations engaged in their most sustained fighting in decades after militants killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, in Indian-administered Kashmir. The conflict lasted four days before a fragile ceasefire was established on May 10.
Balochistan province, rich in minerals and natural resources, has been the site of ongoing violence between government forces and ethnic Baloch separatists seeking greater political autonomy and economic development. In March 2025, the BLA hijacked a train and took more than 350 people hostage, killing 33 individuals, mostly soldiers, in one of the deadliest recent attacks in the region.
The attack on the school bus drew international condemnation. UNICEF described the incident as horrific and emphasized that going to school should never be dangerous for children. The United States Embassy in Islamabad condemned what it termed a brutal and unconscionable attack, stating that the murder of innocent children was beyond comprehension.
Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi characterized the perpetrators as beasts who targeted children with barbarity. He described the attack as a heinous conspiracy designed to create instability in the country. Pakistani officials launched an investigation into the incident after cordoning off the area, while rescue teams transported the injured to nearby hospitals.
The incident recalled the December 2014 attack by the Pakistani Taliban on an Army Public School in Peshawar, which killed more than 140 people, mostly schoolchildren, in what remains Pakistan’s deadliest terrorist attack. Children have frequently been targeted in Pakistan’s ongoing security challenges, highlighting the vulnerability of educational institutions in conflict-affected regions.