Yesterday’s horrific bombing targeting a school bus in Khuzdar once again plunged Pakistan into mourning.
The attack claimed the lives of five people, including three innocent children, and injured over 40 others. Coming on the heels of a suspected drone strike in Mir Ali that killed four children and injured five others, it served as yet another brutal reminder of the human cost of terrorism.
There is no justification—political, ideological, or strategic—for attacking civilians, and the murder of children is especially abhorrent. Schools and school buses should be sanctuaries, not battlegrounds. The deliberate targeting of children reflects inhumanity that requires a full force response, with no space for ifs or buts.
The atrocity also evokes one of the darkest moments in Pakistan’s history. The Peshawar Army Public School massacre of 2014 shocked the nation and sparked a rare moment of national unity, galvanizing the country into action against extremism, including a broad-based crackdown on terrorist networks. The Khuzdar bombing, following months of terror resurgence nationwide, must be a similar turning point. We cannot allow ourselves to be numbed into inaction by the repetition of such horrors.
The government has pointed to external involvement in the attack, specifically alleging Indian backing for extremist elements operating in Balochistan. While their veracity is still pending independent verification, these allegations did not appear in a vacuum. In the wake of military clashes earlier this month, Indian media and analysts openly advocated for escalating unrest within Balochistan as a means to “punish” Pakistan. Such calls, fomenting violence under the guise of strategic retaliation, are dangerous and reckless. If such sentiments have translated into state policy, they will only yield further regional destabilization, not peace.
Regardless of who is behind this heinous act, Pakistan must shift its focus to unity and justice. Political divisions, sectarian lines, and provincial disparities cannot obfuscate the shared national threat. The fight against terrorism is a collective imperative. It is time now to act swiftly and decisively. The government must address intelligence failures, bring all perpetrators to justice, and dismantle support for terrorism, regardless of its origins.
Above all, we must resolve that the children of Pakistan will no longer be made to bear the brunt of our conflicts. Their lives must be protected. Their futures must be defended. And their suffering must end.