QUETTA, Pakistan, May 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A suspected suicide bomber 
targeted a schoolbus in southwestern Pakistan killing at least four children 
and two adults on Wednesday, in an attack the government accused India of 
backing.

The bus driver and his assistant were among those killed in the attack in 
Khuzdar district of Balochistan province, on the way to a school that caters 
to the children of army personnel and civilians living in the area.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused arch-rival India of backing the 
militants that carried out the attack, coming almost two weeks after the two 
sides settled a ceasefire to end their most serious conflict in decades.

"Terrorists operating under Indian patronage attacking innocent children on a 
school bus is clear evidence of their hostility," his statement added.

The military also said in a statement that the attack was "planned and 
orchestrated" by India.

The nuclear-armed neighbours regularly trade accusations that the other 
supports militant groups operating in their territory.

The four-day conflict earlier this month was sparked by an attack on tourists 
in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that India accused Pakistan of 
backing, for which it took revenge.

Pakistan denied any involvement in the attack.

- 'Probe suggests suicide bombing' -

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday's bombing.

Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan province said four children, 
the bus driver and his assistant were killed.

"A bus carrying children of the APS (Army Public School) was targeted with a 
bomb, the nature of which is still being determined," Yasir Iqbal Dashti, a 
senior local government official in Khuzdar district, told AFP.

"The initial probe suggests it was a suicide bombing," he added.

A senior police official confirmed the death toll to AFP on condition of 
anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media, adding that more 
than two dozen people were wounded.

The military earlier put the death toll at five, including three children, in 
a statement to media.

Images shared on social media showed the shattered remains of a school bus 
and a pile of school bags nearby.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is the most active militant group in the 
region where there has been a sharp rise in attacks, mostly targeting 
security forces or people from outside the region.

In March, dozens of militants and off-duty security force members died when 
the BLA took control of a train with hundreds of passengers on board.

In 2014, the Army Public School in Peshawar in northwestern Khyber 
Pakhtunkhwa province was attacked by Pakistan Taliban gunmen who killed more 
than 150 people -- mostly students.

The horrific attack sparked a massive crackdown against militancy that had 
thrived for years in the border regions.