UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the suicide blast in the Pakistani city of Peshawar that killed over 50 people.
"Houses of worship should be havens, not targets. I condemn today's horrific attack on a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan, during Friday prayers. My condolences to those who have lost loved ones, and my solidarity with the people of Pakistan," the UN chief tweeted.
An explosion occurred at a Shia mosque on Friday in which 56 people were killed and 194 others were injured. City officials, who termed the incident a suicide attack, initially said that two attackers were involved.
However, CCTV footage released later in the day showed a lone attacker clad in a black shalwar kameez reaching the mosque in the city's Qissa Khwani Bazaar on foot and brandishing a pistol, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Friday strongly condemned the suicide blast which it said intended to target Shia worshippers.
"The assault was clearly intended to target Shia worshippers and bears the hallmarks of sectarian outfits that have been allowed to run amok in recent years," the HRCP said in a statement.
While condemning the Peshawar blast, the HRCP said the assault was clearly intended to target Shia worshippers and bears the hallmarks of sectarian outfits that have been allowed to run amok in recent years.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor