The number of students martyred in the brutal terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar has risen to six, after another injured student succumbed to her wounds at a hospital in Quetta.
The latest victim, Sahar Saleem, an eighth-grade student who was critically injured in the blast, died despite medical efforts, bringing the total death toll in the cowardly attack to six.
The attack, carried out by Indian-sponsored terrorists using proxies in Balochistan, targeted innocent schoolchildren and left dozens wounded.
Earlier, three students — Sania Soomro (12) of sixth grade, Hifza Kausar (12) of seventh grade, Aisha Saleem (16) of tenth grade — along with one other individual were martyred in the bombing that shocked the nation.
According to hospital authorities, 36 injured victims of the attack were shifted to various hospitals in Quetta, with five still in critical condition.
Security sources have reiterated that the attack was a premeditated act planned in India and executed by proxies operating in Balochistan. They condemned the incident as a heinous attempt to destabilise the region following India’s military setbacks, describing it as a desperate and cowardly move targeting Pakistan’s future — its children.
A case under the Anti-Terrorism Act, including charges of murder and attempted murder, has been registered at the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station in Khuzdar. Investigations are ongoing.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, identifying the Indian-backed terrorist organisation Fitnat-ul-Hind as responsible. He, along with Field Marshal Gen Syed Asim Munir, visited Quetta’s Combined Military Hospital to meet with the injured children and families of the deceased, expressing solidarity and resolve to combat terrorism.
During a high-level security meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, the government reaffirmed its commitment to rooting out terrorism from Balochistan and vowed decisive action against all terrorist networks.
