ISLAMABAD

At least five people, including three children, were killed and several injured in an explosion Wednesday that targeted a school bus in southwestern Balochistan province, according to the Pakistan army.

The army said the attack was "planned and orchestrated by India and executed by its proxies" in Balochistan, and targeted innocent school children in Khuzdar.

"These Indian terror proxies are being employed as a state tool ... to foment terrorism in Pakistan against soft targets such as innocent children and civilians," it added.​​​​​​​

New Delhi, however, rejected the claims by Pakistan.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has carried out similar attacks that have targeted civilians and security forces.

“India condoles the loss of lives in all such incidents ... it has become ... nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues. This attempt to hoodwink the world is doomed to fail," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal.

Police said the explosion came when the bus was carrying children to school.

The Pakistani statement referencing New Delhi was the first since a recent military escalation between the two South Asian nations that ended with a US-mediated ceasefire on May 10.

The escalation began between the two nuclear neighbors May 6, when India fired missiles inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, hitting what New Delhi said were "nine terror locations," triggering retaliation on May 10 by Islamabad, which said it hit 26 Indian military targets inside its eastern neighbor as well as in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, has experienced frequent insurgent violence and armed attacks, often targeting security forces.