UNITED NATIONS, Aug 10 (APP): The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom denounced Monday’s terrorist attack that killed at least 70 people, including two journalists, in Quetta.
“There can be no justification for violence targeting civilians,” Irina Bokova, Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said Wednesday in a statement condemning the attack.
Among those killed in the deadly attack were Mehmood Khan, a cameraman for Dawn News, and Shehzad Ahmed, a cameraman for Aaj TV. They were reporting at the time of the bomb blast on a gathering of mourners following the murder of the president of the Balochistan Bar Association, Bilal Kasi, earlier in the day.
“The loss of these media professionals in the brutal terrorist attack in Quetta undermines citizens’ ability to sustain informed debate that is the bedrock of good governance and dialogue,” Ms. Bokova added.
On Monday, in a statement issued by his office, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the attack, underscoring that the targeting of mourners made it ‘particularly appalling.’
