Suicide bomb attacks school bus in Balochistan; 5 dead and several injured
At least five children were killed and 38 others were injured when a suicide vehicle bomb crashed into a school bus in Balochistan, a region of southwest Pakistan.
New Delhi (India) May 21: A suicide vehicle bomb targeted a school bus in the unrest-plagued Khuzdar area of the Balochistan province in southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least five children and injuring 38 more.
According to Yasir Dashti, a senior government official from the restive province of Balochistan, the explosion happened in the city of Khuzdar and targeted a school bus that was transporting "a large number" of military officers' children.According to Dashti, the attack injured 38 individuals.
Pakistan's National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) has criticised this attack and said,"Targeting innocent children seeking knowledge is an absolutely unacceptable, inhumane, and barbaric act.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and said, “The enemy committed sheer barbarism by targeting innocent children. Such beasts deserve no leniency.”
Although no group has taken responsibility as of yet, ethnic Baloch separatist groups especially the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which has often targeted both security forces and civilians in the province are likely to be investigated.
A car bombing in a market in Qillah Abdullah, a city in Balochistan that borders Afghanistan, killed four people and injured twenty others just days before this attack.
Seven Pakistani soldiers lost their lives on May 6 when an improvised explosive device in Balochistan attacked their truck. Later, the military blamed the BLA for the incident.
In a statement issued after the incident, Pakistan's military claimed that "Indian proxies" were responsible for the attack. Their claims were not supported by any evidence.
In a statement, Pakistan's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, "strongly condemned the cowardly attack" and confirmed the military's charges that India was responsible for the assault.
The revival of these violent incidents is causing security concerns in the province ahead of important regional and national events. The investigation into Tuesday's school bus bombing is already underway, and security guards remain on duty.
Aadrika Tayal
What's Your Reaction?
