UNSC strongly condemns Quetta blast

15-member council urges all states to cooperate with Pakistan to bring perpetrators to justice

UNITED NATIONS:

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has condemned “in the strongest terms the cowardly terrorist attack” in Quetta, where a powerful bomb blast in the parking lot of a luxury hotel left 5 people dead and many other injured earlier this week.

In a press statement issued on Saturday, the 15-member UNSC called for bringing the perpetrators to justice. The statement noted that the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed the responsibility for the deadly attack.

“The members of the Security Council express their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Pakistan, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured,” it said.

“The members of the Security Council reaffirm that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security,” the statement added.

The UNSC members underlined the need for holding the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all states to cooperate actively with the Pakistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard.

The UNSC members reiterated that any acts of terrorism were criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.

“They reaffirm the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.”

Earlier, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had also strongly condemned the attack, and reaffirmed UN’s solidarity with Pakistan.