Condemning Attack on Pakistan Mosque, Secretary-General Urges Swift Justice for Perpetrators, Redoubled Efforts to Combat Terrorism

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General condemns the attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar in Pakistan during Friday prayers, which has reportedly killed at least 19 people, including Naveed Abbas, a Pakistan national working with the United Nations Department of Safety and Security.  Dozens more were also injured.  The attack comes merely two weeks after more than 60 people were killed in another attack on a Shia mosque in Shikarpur in southern Pakistan.

The Secretary-General is deeply dismayed by such repeated targeting of innocent people on account of their religious beliefs and in their places of worship.  There is no justification for such crimes.

The Secretary-General calls on the Pakistani authorities to bring swiftly to justice the perpetrators and urges them to redouble their efforts to protect religious and ethnic minorities and to combat terrorism in all its forms.

The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of Pakistan.