Khuzdar: five including three children killed in blast, ISPR claims India’s involvement

KHUZDAR: Five people including three children have been killed in a bomb blast at zero point on the Karachi-Quetta National Highway in Khuzdar on Wednesday morning, deputy commissioner Yasir Iqbal has confirmed.

The students martyred in the attack include Saniya Soomro (Grade 6), Hafsa Kausar (Grade 7), and Ayesha Saleem (Grade 10), according to security sources.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) condemned the attack, accusing Indian-backed terrorists of carrying out the assault and alleging that India, after facing setbacks, has resorted to targeting defenseless children.

The ISPR alleged that the “Indian terrorist state” orchestrated the assault through its proxy agents. According to the military’s media wing, India planned and executed this cowardly attack as part of its ongoing campaign of destabilization.

The ISPR statement further accused Indian-sponsored proxies of intensifying terrorist activities in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following repeated failures in their objectives.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s resolve, ISPR vowed to root out what it termed “Indian-sponsored terrorism” and ensure that the masterminds and facilitators behind such attacks are brought to justice. The statement underscores Pakistan’s longstanding allegations against India for employing covert tactics to undermine regional security, while emphasizing the country’s determination to counter these threats decisively.

According to initial reports, a VBIED (Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device) was placed in a parked vehicle when the school bus passed, it exploded damaging the bus entirely.

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Three children have been killed in the tragic incident and 38 injured and there are fears that casualties may rise while the driver has also been killed.

An emergency has been declared in all the hospitals of the area. The injured children have been transported to CMH Khuzdar.

Condemnations pour in

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident and offered support to all grieving parents.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti accused India of promoting state-sponsored terrorism, calling the school bus attack an assault on humanity. He alleged that India, after facing setbacks, is now resorting to cowardly attacks through its proxies in the province. “Pakistan will expose India’s sinister face to the world,” Bugti declared, affirming that the nation and armed forces remain united against Indian conspiracies. He added that targeting soft victims reflects India’s moral bankruptcy.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the tragic blast and expressed deep sorrow, Naqvi extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving families. He said, “The loss of innocent children has shaken us. Our sympathies are with the bereaved families.” Calling the perpetrators “beasts in human form,” he said those who target innocent children do not deserve any mercy. He labelled the attack a “barbaric act by enemies of the state” and termed it a “heinous conspiracy” aimed at destabilising Pakistan. “This was not just an attack on a school bus, but an attack on peace. The nation must unite to foil such conspiracies,” said Naqvi. He assured full support to the families of the victims and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.

PPP leader Sherry Rehman also condemned the cowardly attack, expressing condolences to the victims’ families. She denounced the terrorists’ lowly act of targeting children, asserting that such brutality would not weaken the nation’s resolve. Rehman urged party workers to donate blood for the injured children at local hospitals.

This is a developing story