United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the suicide bombing at a gathering of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The attack resulted in at least 54 deaths and approximately 83 injuries. Guterres called on the Pakistani authorities to hold accountable those responsible for this act of violence. He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wished a prompt recovery to those injured.
The UN chief denounced all forms of terrorism and deliberate attacks against civilians, showing solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan in their efforts to combat this scourge. The statement was read out by UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.