ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan’s civil and military officials stated that India was behind the terrorist attack on an Army Public School bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan on Wednesday, saying India-sponsored attackers have no humanity, morality, and Baloch or Pakistani identity.
The barbaric attack claimed the lives of at least eight people, including six children.
Interior Secretary Captain (retd) Khurram Muhammad Agha and DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry addressed a joint press conference in Islamabad on Friday, condemning the “cowardly attack on innocent lives” and vowed retaliation.
“Our response will be decisive. They will not succeed,” said Agha. He added that the incident was not an isolated act of terror but a calculated strike on “Pakistan’s traditions and educational values.”
The interior secretary stated that initial investigations point to ‘Fitna al-Hindustan’ being responsible for the bombing, accusing India of changing tactics after military failures in the region.
“After the failure of Operation Sindoor, India instructed its proxies to carry out attacks in Balochistan,” Agha said, adding that soft targets such as schoolchildren were now being deliberately chosen to spread fear.
He added that Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the Balochistan government, is conducting a comprehensive review of the incident, and pledged full support to the victims’ families.
DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry reiterated that India has been involved in state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan for over two decades.
“In 2009, the Government of Pakistan presented evidence to the Indian Prime Minister in Sharm El Sheikh. In 2015 and again in 2019, dossiers were submitted to the United Nations,” he said.
He cited the case of Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav and recent terrorist confessions as part of a consistent pattern of Indian involvement. “This is what happened on May 21 on the orders of Hindustan, done by the terrorists of Fitna al-Hindustan,” Lt Gen Chaudhry said.
A pattern of violence across Balochistan
The DG ISPR detailed a string of attacks carried out under Indian direction in Balochistan, including:
12 labourers killed in Nushki on April 12
Two civilians killed in Tump Kech on April 28
10 killed in an IED blast in Harnai on February 14
Three people martyred in Lasbela on May 9
Off-duty personnel targeted in the Jaffer Express incident
He said the attack on Khuzdar was an escalation in this pattern, with India shifting its strategy to attacking women and children. Images and video footage of the slain children were also shown during the briefing.
Also Read: Army top brass vows to decimate terror proxies, facilitators
A day earlier, the top military commanders declared that “no one can coerce Pakistan through the use or threat of force” and that the hostile elements trained and financed to incite chaos in the country will be decimated.
The declaration was made at the 270th corps commanders’ conference chaired by Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the GHQ in Rawalpindi, according to a statement issued by the military’s media wing, the ISPR.
The ISPR stated that the forum reaffirmed “Pakistan’s unyielding resolve” to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against any act of aggression or misadventure.
The corps commanders, while reiterating Pakistan’s strategic stance, declared: “No one can coerce Pakistan through the use or threat of force. The nation will take all measures necessary to safeguard its vital interests.”
