Terror In Khuzdar: Blood On The Road To Regional Reckoning – OpEd
On May 21, 2025, the people of Khuzdar woke to one of the most heinous acts of terrorism in Pakistan’s recent memory. A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a school bus carrying children to a military-run educational institution. The attack killed at least five people, including three innocent children, and injured over fifty others. For Pakistan, this was not just a tragedy, it was a message. And that message came not from within, but from across the border.
The Pakistani state has justifiably laid the responsibility on Indian-backed proxies operating in Balochistan, especially given the consistent patterns of attacks that have emerged in the region over the past decade. Organizations such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and the so-called Majid Brigade have long received funding, training, and logistical support from Indian intelligence, as revealed in dossiers submitted to the United Nations and shared with friendly states. The Khuzdar attack, targeting schoolchildren, represents the lowest depths of this proxy warfare, where even minors are no longer spared in India’s bid to destabilize Pakistan.
This is not conjecture; it is a pattern. Indian involvement in fueling insurgency in Balochistan is neither new nor surprising. In 2016, Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav, a serving Indian Navy officer, was captured in Balochistan and confessed to espionage and sabotage operations sponsored by India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). His presence and activities in Pakistan were undeniable proof of India’s intentions: to bleed Pakistan through covert, irregular means, especially in vulnerable provinces like Balochistan. India has predictably denied any connection to the Khuzdar bombing, terming the accusations “baseless.” This defense rings hollow in the face of repeated incidents where separatist groups in Balochistan have received safe haven, media space, and apparent logistical encouragement from across the border. The use of terrorism as state policy, what scholars like Christine Fair and others have referred to as “strategic sabotage”, has long defined India’s regional playbook, especially when conventional military confrontation becomes unviable.
This is not simply an Indo-Pak blame game; it is about truth, responsibility, and regional stability. The deliberate targeting of schoolchildren in Khuzdar must be viewed as an act of international terrorism. It is an assault not just on Pakistan, but on the fundamental norms of humanity. The images of blood-streaked schoolbags and twisted metal are reminders of the real victims of India’s hybrid war strategy: children, parents, teachers, ordinary Pakistanis. The tragedy has again exposed the moral duplicity of the Indian state. While Indian leaders speak of peace at international forums, their intelligence networks orchestrate attacks that kill children in neighboring states. While New Delhi lectures the world on democracy and human rights, its actions in Kashmir and now in Balochistan reveal a darker, imperialist ambition to assert regional dominance at any cost.
Pakistan’s response, thus far, has been measured but firm. The Foreign Office has launched a diplomatic outreach campaign to brief key allies, including China, Turkey, and the Gulf states, on the scale and pattern of Indian-sponsored terrorism. Military leadership has also convened high-level security reviews, and it is expected that targeted counterinsurgency operations will intensify in the coming weeks.
But more is needed. Pakistan must treat this as a watershed moment. Just as the 2014 Peshawar APS massacre united the country behind Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the Khuzdar attack must galvanize a national counterterrorism strategy with a renewed focus on external sponsorship. India must be named, exposed, and held accountable through every available diplomatic and legal channel. The United Nations must not remain silent when children are turned into collateral damage in India’s covert war. At the same time, Pakistan must accelerate development and reconciliation efforts in Balochistan. The enemy thrives in spaces of economic neglect and political marginalization. By investing in education, infrastructure, and inclusive governance, the state can deny hostile actors the vacuum they exploit.
To our eastern neighbor, let this be clear, Pakistan’s resolve cannot be broken by bloodshed. If the goal of such attacks is to fracture our unity or weaken our will, then Khuzdar will be the moment that proves the opposite. Pakistanis stand united, not just in grief, but in defiance. The children of Khuzdar were not just victims, they are martyrs in a larger war for sovereignty and dignity. And the Pakistani nation will not forget. The world must choose, stand against terrorism, or be complicit through silence!