Description: Suicide car bomb targeted a school bus in the southwestern province of Baluchistan leaving at least 6 people dead and more than 53 wounded. The mineral – rich province has been the home for a decades – long insurgency led by the separatist militants called Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA). Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attacks and even though no responsibility was claimed he shifted blame towards India as the country has been long suspected of supporting the BLA and other similar militant groups in the region. The BLA also conducted another attack on 16 Mar when a train in the province was attacked with pledges from the group to continue to conduct attacks while seeking independence from Pakistan. Regional security forces have cordoned the area as investigations where ongoing, while Indian officials have rejected the accusations from Pakistan of being involved in the terrorist attack.
Impact: Pakistan’s long – lasting insurgency issues further aggravate the security situation and pose a serious threat to stability. Militant and extremist group in the region such as the BLA, Tehrik – e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State – Khorasan which operate in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region represent the single greatest threat for Pakistan’s internal security stability. The region was considerably impacted by the India – Pakistan confrontations as they engaged in a fragile ceasefire which could potentially be disrupted by terrorist attacks of large-scale proportion which would bring the countries back on a collision course. Terrorist attacks in Pakistan would be on the rise as the country’s defensive and security forces are strained by the increased presence and activities of numerous insurgency and militant groups.