United Nations: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attacks on two churches in Pakistan and called on the government to bring the perpetrators to justice while ensuring that religious minorities are protected.
The Secretary-General noted with "grave concern" the Pakistani Taliban's claim of responsibility for Sunday's bombings on the churches and its "threats to carry out more attacks in the future," UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.
"He calls on the Government of Pakistan to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and to do its utmost to prevent attacks against places of worship and protect religious minorities," Haq said.
At least 16 people were killed and over 80 others injured on Saturday when Taliban suicide bombers attacked two packed churches during the Sunday mass in Pakistan's biggest Christian colony - Youhanabad area of Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.
The attacks were claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan's (TTP) splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. TTP has intensified their attacks against civilian targets in recent months.
Last December, TTP had attacked an army-run school in Peshawar, killing over 150 people, mostly students, drawing universal condemnation from senior UN officials who described the attack as "blood-curdling" and a form of "savage extremism".
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