NEW YORK: The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has reaffirmed the UN support to the efforts of the Pakistani government to combat terrorism and extremism.
In a statement in New York, the UN chief condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and expressed heart-felt condolences to the government and the people of Pakistan on the loss of precious lives in the violent incidents in various parts of the country including Quetta‚ Karachi, Charsadda and Rawalpindi.
The deadliest of these attacks occurred on Tuesday evening in Dringhar area of Balochistan’s troubled Mastung district when a bus carrying Shia pilgrims which was coming from Iran to Quetta via Taftan was targeted with a powerful blast that left at least 29 persons killed and more than 50 injured.
On the same day, three persons including two women were killed when unknown assailants opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Qayyumabad area of Karachi.
Likewise on Wednesday, at least seven persons including six police men were killed while nine others including two policemen sustained injuries in a bomb blast near a police mobile van at Sardheri bazaar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district as they were on their way for security duty with a team of anti-polio volunteers.
“These unacceptable attacks are hampering efforts to eradicate the disease in Pakistan, one of the last three countries where polio remains endemic. The number of polio cases in Pakistan increased by 57 per cent last year, from 58 cases in 2012 to 91 in 2013,” the statement quoted the UN chief as saying.
The UN chief stressed that United Nations’ commitment to supporting the government in its efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism.
