The United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned “in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly” terrorist attack on a school bus in Khuzdar earlier this week.

At least six people, including three students, were slain while over 40 others — mostly students — sustained injuries after a bomb targeted the bus near Zero Point in Khuzdar on the Quetta-Karachi highway when it was on its way to drop the students at the Army Public School in Khuzdar Cantonment.

The condition of at least a dozen is said to be serious due to critical injuries, officials said, adding that at least 15 girl students were among the injured. Security forces vowed to “relentlessly pursue” the culprits of the attack as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited the injured in Quetta yesterday.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that two major terrorist groups operating in Pakistan were “Indian proxies”, adding that Islamabad would present “complete evidence” to prove New Delhi’s involvement in the attack on the school bus.

According to state-run Radio Pakistan, the UNSC condemned the “heinous and cowardly terrorist attack” on a school bus in Khuzdar in the strongest terms.

In a press release, the UNSC said that the “reprehensible act of terrorism resulted in the grievous loss”, with its members expressing deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government.

“They [UNSC members] wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured,” it added.

The council reaffirmed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”, underlining the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice.

It urged all states to cooperate actively with the government of Pakistan, reiterating that any acts of terrorism were criminal and unjustifiable.

The council reaffirmed the need for all states to combat by all means, according to the UN Charter and other international obligations.