Khuzdar, Balochistan — May 21, 2025:
In a heartbreaking attack that has shaken the nation, five people — including three schoolgirls — were martyred and over 30 injured when a bomb targeted a school bus near Zero Point in Khuzdar. The vehicle was carrying over 40 students to an army-run educational institution when it was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED), drawing widespread condemnation and triggering strong statements from Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership.
Leadership Responds: PM Shehbaz, COAS Hold India Responsible
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir visited CMH Quetta shortly after the attack to meet injured children and oversee the security response. The leadership unequivocally blamed Indian-sponsored proxies for the act and vowed to eliminate foreign-backed terrorism from Pakistan.
“Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies will relentlessly pursue all those involved in this barbaric act,” the Prime Minister said in Quetta, during a high-level briefing alongside COAS Munir, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and others.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the school bus was targeted by “Indian-sponsored proxies [Fitna Al Hindustan]”, describing the attack as part of a broader campaign to destabilize Pakistan through proxy violence in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Sequel to gross failure to intimidate Pakistan through overt military means, dastardly terrorist incidents are being orchestrated through their proxies at an intensified scale,” read the official statement.
The joint civil-military statement emphasized that such acts — particularly those targeting children — are not only morally reprehensible but demand international attention.
“India’s reliance on such morally indefensible tactics, particularly the deliberate targeting of children, demands urgent attention from the international community. The use of terrorism as a tool of foreign policy must be unequivocally condemned and confronted.”
PM Shehbaz and COAS Munir described the targeting of innocent children as a “shameful and despicable act”, asserting that “the architects, abettors, and enablers of this crime will be held accountable and brought to justice.”
Background: A Cowardly Attack on Innocents
The explosion, which took place early Tuesday, claimed the lives of three students — Sania Soomoro (Grade 6), Hifza Kousar (Grade 7), and Esha Saleem (Grade 10) — along with the bus driver and his assistant. More than 30 individuals sustained injuries, many of them critically. Fourteen were airlifted to CMH Quetta, including twelve children.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed that the incident was a “deliberate targeting of civilians, especially schoolchildren”, calling it an attack not just on Pakistan but on humanity itself.
Pakistan to Present Evidence of Indian Involvement
Speaking to Geo News, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that Pakistan would soon present concrete evidence of Indian involvement in the Khuzdar attack. He highlighted how India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has been actively fueling violence through terror outfits like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“We will prove what we are saying about the Khuzdar incident,” Asif said, promising that India’s proxy war would be exposed on international forums.
Rising Terrorism and India’s Proxy Network
Intelligence reports suggest India’s proxies have stepped up activities in Balochistan, especially following a failed false-flag operation in Pahalgam. Groups like BLA, Fitna-ul-Khawarij, and even foreign elements such as illegal Afghan nationals have reportedly been activated to carry out attacks in Gwadar, Quetta, and Khuzdar.
According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), while overall violence slightly declined in early 2025, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue to bear the brunt, accounting for 98% of fatalities. Balochistan alone has seen a 15% surge in violence compared to the previous quarter.
Conclusion: The Line Has Been Drawn
The Khuzdar bombing has become a national rallying point. With PM Shehbaz and COAS Munir calling for a decisive end to Indian-backed terrorism, Pakistan’s civil and military institutions appear united in their resolve to not only respond, but expose and dismantle the infrastructure of foreign-sponsored violence.
As Pakistan prepares to present its case globally, one thing is clear — the nation is done absorbing hits. The response now may be far more calculated, but no less forceful.
