Latest news with #YasirDashti
Egypt Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Three children and two adults killed in suicide attack on school bus in Pakistan
Quetta, Balochistan CNN — A suicide attack on a school bus in southwestern A suicide attack on a school bus in southwestern Pakistan killed three students of a military-run school on Wednesday, officials said, in the latest attack that underscores the deteriorating security situation in the region. The explosion took place in the city of Khuzdar in restive Balochistan province and targeted a school bus carrying 'a large number' of children of military officials, according to Yasir Dashti, a senior government official from the province. Dashti said 38 people were wounded in the attack. 'The bus was carrying Army Public School children,' said Kaleem Ullah, a police official from Khuzdar. Army Public Schools are a network of school across Pakistan for children of military staff. At least three children and two adults were killed, according to a statement from the Pakistan military. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack so far. Balochistan has been rocked for years by a separatist insurgency that seeks greater political autonomy and economic development in the strategically important and mineral-rich mountainous region. Pakistan's military accused 'Indian proxies' of being behind the attack in a statement released shortly after the incident. It did not give evidence for its claims. Pakistan has previously accused its neighbor and arch-rival of being behind attacks in Balochistan. New Delhi has denied the accusations. India's foreign ministry rejected what it described as 'baseless allegations' on Wednesday, and accused Islamabad of leveling such claims 'to hide its own gross failings.' 'India condoles the loss of lives in all such incidents,' a spokesperson for the country's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement to CNN. 'However, in order to divert attention from its reputation as the global epicenter of terrorism and to hide its own gross failings, it has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues,' the spokesperson added. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif 'strongly condemned the cowardly attack' in a statement and repeated the military's accusations that India was behind the attack. Local boys inspect site of a school bus bombing in Khuzdar district of Balochistan province, Pakistan, on Wednesday. AFP/Getty Images India has long accused Pakistan of sheltering militant groups that have carried out attacks across the border, including a recent massacre of tourists in India-administered Kashmir, allegations Islamabad has denied. Tensions between the two spiraled after that massacre and resulted in a brief four-day conflict earlier this month that was the most sustained fighting between the two in decades. A fragile ceasefire has held since then. Wednesday's attack comes just over two months after the deadly hijacking of a train by separatist militants in Balochistan. In that incident the Baloch Liberation Army took more than 350 people – some of whom were security personnel – hostage, killing 27 of them. Children have also been the target of some of Pakistan's most devastating terror attacks. At least 145 people, mostly school children, were killed by Pakistani Taliban militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2014 – the worst terror attack in the country's history. The Pakistani Taliban's most notable target was then 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who was singled out and shot on October 9, 2012 as she rode to school in a van with other girls. CNN's Aishwarya S Iyer contributed reporting.
Hans India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Suicide Bombing Targets School Bus In Pakistan's Balochistan, Killing 5 Including 3 Children
A devastating suicide bombing struck a school bus in Khuzdar, a city in Pakistan's violence-stricken Balochistan province, early Wednesday, leaving three schoolchildren and two adults dead. The attack, which also injured 38 others, targeted a vehicle transporting students of the Army Public School—an institution meant for the children of military personnel. Yasir Dashti, a senior government official in the province, confirmed the bus was carrying a significant number of children at the time of the explosion. Police officer Kaleem Ullah added that the students were part of the Army Public School network, which operates under the Pakistani military's education system. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the blast. The Pakistani military issued a statement condemning the attack and accused 'Indian proxies' of orchestrating the bombing—allegations made without supporting evidence. Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, echoed the military's stance, calling the attack 'cowardly' and holding India accountable. India's Ministry of External Affairs and military have yet to respond to CNN's requests for comment. Historically, Pakistan has often pointed fingers at India for acts of violence in Balochistan, while India has repeatedly denied such claims and accused Pakistan of harboring militant groups targeting Indian soil. Balochistan, a region rich in minerals and strategically vital, has long been the center of a separatist rebellion seeking greater autonomy and control over local resources. Violence in the province is frequent, with insurgent groups targeting infrastructure and state symbols. This tragic attack comes just months after the hijacking of a train by Baloch separatists, which ended with 27 hostages dead. It also recalls Pakistan's dark history of terror attacks against children, most notably the 2014 school massacre in Peshawar that killed over 140 students, and the 2012 shooting of teenage education activist Malala Yousafzai. The recent surge in violence, coupled with escalating accusations between India and Pakistan, has heightened fears of renewed conflict in the region—despite a fragile ceasefire following a four-day military standoff earlier this month.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Three children and two adults killed in suicide attack on school bus in Pakistan
A suicide attack on a school bus in southwestern Pakistan killed three students of a military-run school on Wednesday, officials said, in the latest attack that underscores the deteriorating security situation in the region. The explosion took place in the city of Khuzdar in restive Balochistan province and targeted a school bus carrying 'a large number' of children of military officials, according to Yasir Dashti, a senior government official from the province. 38 people were wounded in the attack, Dashti said. 'The bus was carrying Army Public School children,' said Kaleem Ullah, a police official from Khuzdar. Army Public Schools are a network of school across Pakistan for children of military staff. At least three children and two adults were killed, according to a statement from the Pakistan military. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack so far. Balochistan has been rocked for years by a separatist insurgency that seeks greater political autonomy and economic development in the strategically important and mineral-rich mountainous region. Pakistan's military accused 'Indian proxies' of being behind the attack in a statement released shortly after the incident. It did not give evidence for its claims. Pakistan has previously accused its neighbor and arch-rival of being behind attacks in Balochistan. New Delhi has denied the accusations. CNN has contacted the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Indian Army for a response. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif 'strongly condemned the cowardly attack' in a statement and repeated the military's accusations that India was behind the attack. India has long accused Pakistan of sheltering militant groups that have carried out attacks across the border, including a recent massacre of tourists in India-administered Kashmir, allegations Islamabad has denied. Tensions between the two spiraled after that massacre and resulted in a brief four-day conflict earlier this month that was the most sustained fighting between the two in decades. A fragile ceasefire has held since then. Wednesday's attack comes just over two months after the deadly hijacking of a train by separatist militants in Balochistan. In that incident the Baloch Liberation Army took more than 350 people – some of whom were security personnel – hostage, killing 27 of them. Children have also been the target of some of Pakistan's most devastating terror attacks. At least 145 people, mostly school children, were killed in by Pakistani Taliban militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2014 – the worst terror attack in the country's history. The Pakistani Taliban's most notable target was then 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who was singled out and shot on October 9, 2012 as she rode to school in a van with other girls.
