Pakistani police escort ambulances carrying the coffins of foreign tourists as they come out from Chaklala air base in Rawalpindi on June 23, 2013. PHOTO: AFP
KIEV: Ukraine on Monday condemned the shooting of three Ukrainian climbers by militant gunmen in Pakistan and demanded compensation for the victims' families.
Attackers stormed a base camp at the foot of Pakistan's second-highest peak Nanga Parbat late Saturday, shooting dead 10 foreign trekkers, including three Ukrainians and a Pakistani guide at point-blank range.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yevgen Perebiynis at a news conference condemned the "terrorist attack" and said the government had sent a note to Pakistan's acting representative in Ukraine calling for compensation and punishment of the guilty.
"We categorically demand compensation from the Pakistan side," he said, calling the attack "murder carried out with particular cruelty."
Pakistan's umbrella Taliban movement claimed responsibility, saying it had set up a new faction, Junood ul-Hifsa, to kill foreigners to avenge US drone strikes on Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives.
The three Ukrainians, identified as Igor Svergun, Dmitry Konyaev and Badavi Kashayev, were travelling in a group of six from the climbing club in the eastern city of Kharkiv, the president of the region's mountaineering and rock-climbing federation, Gennady Kopeika, told AFP.
It was the worst attack on foreigners for a decade in Pakistan and an unprecedented attack on tourists visiting the north, which until Saturday's shootings was considered immune from militancy plaguing other areas.
COMMENTS (12)
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@Rashid: Yes, they will give money because parts of GB belongs to them anyway. Maybe, if we give them more territory carving out of Azad Pakistan, the Chinese will keep quiet. And give us more money.
I think we are just commentators in all sort of problems in Pakistan. None of the comments show any sort of positvity in the form of any advice. We as a nation are full of failed people. We can just criticize our goverments but what are we trying to participate in betterment in law and order, rule of law. We are just bunch of foolish people when asked to participate in any sort of activity that will curb terrorism. Just critics and abuses, nothing else.
I don't care about tourism, or whatever. My concern is whether Chinese will give us any money after this unfortunate accident? I have to pay school fees for my two sons and one daughter, plus medicine for my ailing mother. Can't the govt tell them that we Pakistanis are good people. It's the foreign agents of US, India who are doing such things. I'm sure they will understand. They are good people, they always help us, give us money.
@jibran: Right, I bet you prefer Zardari, on whose watch all this was allowed to fester.
Excellent idea Jibran!
How many more countries in the international community do we plan to aggravate by allowing religious extremist militants to roam free and flourish?
Even now, had it not been for the Chinese citizens killed, we would not have cared about the other foreigners, let alone our own citizens and minorities.
While I sympathize with death of ukranian nationals, how is Pak responsible for paying compensation for a terrorist attack? Is Ukraine willing to pay compensation for illegal Iraq war they participated in?
Compensation must be paid from the personal accounts of the taliban apologists, namely nawaz sharif, shahbaz sharif, imran khan, and ch nisar.
Looking by the way our country is run , To compensate we will need USAID i guess
families must be compenstaed by govt of pAKISTAN