UN chief raps blasts on Shia mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned deadly blasts that rocked a Shia mosque packed with worshipers in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar.
“There is no justification for such crimes,” Ban said in a statement on Friday.
He expressed his deep dismay at the repeated targeting of innocent people under the pretext of their religious beliefs and places of worship.
The UN chief urged Pakistani authorities to bring the perpetrators swiftly to justice and also to expand their efforts “to protect religious and ethnic minorities and to combat terrorism in all its forms,” the statement said.
It added that Ban extended his heartfelt condolences to victims’ families and the Pakistani government and nation.
At least 21 people, including Naveed Abbas, a Pakistani national working with the UN Department of Safety and Security, were killed after several gunmen threw grenades and opened fire on worshipers around the time of Friday prayers, following which a series of explosions were heard at the Imamia mosque. The explosions in the restive city also injured more than 60.
The Friday attack occurred two weeks after an explosion on a Shia mosque and religious center in southern Pakistan killed 61 people.
The January 30 attack took place when people were performing Friday Prayers in Shikarpur district of Sindh Province. Dozens were also wounded in the attack.
The Jundallah militant group, linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the January attack.
SF/NN/HRB
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