A suspected suicide bomber targeted a school bus in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least four children and two adults on Wednesday (May 21), 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 (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.
New Delhi’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement that “India rejects the baseless allegations”, adding that it was “second nature” for Pakistan to blame India.
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.