The death toll from the May 21 terrorist attack targeting a school bus in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district has risen to eight, following the deaths of two critically injured students, Shima Ibrahim and Muskan, who succumbed to their wounds on Saturday.
The brutal attack, which struck children as they returned home from school, initially claimed the lives of three students and two adults, and left more than 40 others injured. A majority of the victims were young schoolchildren. Medical officials report that at least a dozen students remain hospitalised, several in critical condition.
According to Pakistani authorities, the assault was planned, funded, and facilitated by India through its established proxy networks operating in Balochistan. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has termed it a “barbaric act of state-sponsored terrorism,” calling it part of a broader campaign to destabilise Pakistan by targeting soft civilian infrastructure, including educational institutions.
Security agencies have launched a large-scale operation in the region to trace the facilitators and local operatives involved in carrying out the attack. Forensic teams are also examining evidence from the blast site, and investigators say intelligence links between the attackers and India-backed terrorist groups are already being pursued.
The Balochistan government has announced compensation packages for the families of the deceased and injured, while local communities observed a day of mourning across Khuzdar. Schools and public offices lowered flags, and prayer ceremonies were held for the victims.
This latest act of violence is being seen as part of a wider pattern of Indian interference and covert aggression in Pakistan’s border provinces. Officials have called on international institutions to take notice of what they describe as India’s systematic use of terrorism as a tool of foreign policy, in direct violation of international law.
Pakistan’s security institutions have reiterated their commitment to eliminate such threats and ensure that those responsible, including external sponsors, are brought to justice.
