Six killed in school bus bombing

A suspected suicide bomber targeted a schoolbus in southwestern Pakistan killing at least four children and two adults yesterday, in an attack the government accused India of backing.

The bus driver and his assistant were among those killed in the attack in Khuzdar district of Balochistan province, on the way to a school that caters to the children of army personnel and civilians living in the area.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused arch-rival India of backing the militants that carried out the attack, coming almost two weeks after the two sides settled a ceasefire to end their most serious conflict in decades.

"Terrorists operating under Indian patronage attacking innocent children on a school bus is clear evidence of their hostility," his statement added. The military also said in a statement that the attack was "planned and orchestrated" by India.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for yesterday's bombing. Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan province said four children, the bus driver and his assistant were killed.

"A bus carrying children of the APS (Army Public School) was targeted with a bomb, the nature of which is still being determined," Yasir Iqbal Dashti, a senior local government official in Khuzdar district, told AFP.