March 28, 2024 23:17 (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Actor Govinda returns to politics after 14 years of 'vanvas', joins Eknath Shinde camp | 'To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture': PM posts after 600 lawyers write to CJI | Comments on our electoral, legal processes completely unacceptable: India on US' remarks over Kejriwal arrest | Delhi High Court rejects PIL seeking removal of Arvind Kejriwal as CM | MHA extends AFSPA in 3 districts of Arunachal Pradesh for 6 months
Taliban attack on Pakistan school an act of 'horror and rank cowardice', says UN chief

Taliban attack on Pakistan school an act of 'horror and rank cowardice', says UN chief

India Blooms News Service | | 16 Dec 2014, 11:40 pm
New York/Peshawar, Dec 16 (IBNS) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday strongly condemned the "blood-curdling attack" on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, which has cost the lives of at least 130 people, the vast majority of whom were children.

“It is an act of horror and rank cowardice to attack defenseless children while they learn,” Ban said this morning ahead of an address to the Security Council on regional cooperation. “The hearts of the world go out to the parents and families who lost loved one in the horrific attack.”

Stressing that the UN would continue to support the Government of Pakistan in its fight against terror and extremism and urging the Government to bring the perpetrators to justice, he said “no cause could justify such brutality.”

“Getting an education is every child’s right. Going to school should not have to be an act of bravery,” he continued, sending his condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy.

Senior officials from across the Organization echoed the Secretary-General’s comments, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, also condemning “an utterly despicable and incomprehensibly vicious attack on defenseless children.”

“The Taliban have sunk to an all-time depth with this attack,” Zeid said. “Everyone must now unite to combat this type of savage extremism. No Government or intelligence agencies, no religious figures, no wealthy sponsors, no members of the general public can possibly justify continuing support for the Taliban, ISIL, Boko Haram, Al Qaida or any of these takfiri groups which appear to be competing to attain the highest level of human barbarity.”

“We must all join together to counter such extremism and violence – not only in Pakistan, but anywhere where children's rights and human rights are attacked in this way,” declared the High Commissioner.

He referred to the speech given by Malala Yousafzai on receipt of her Nobel peace Prize in Oslo last week. Herself the victim of such a Taliban attack, she said she wished her generation would be “the last that sees empty class rooms, lost childhoods and wasted potentials,” and noted that despite her celebrity her home village does not yet have a secondary school for girls.

UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General, Irina Bokova condemned the attack as “a crime against the future of all children and the nation of Pakistan” and “against learning and innocence”.

“Terror will not silence the millions of voices around the world that are demanding education to be a right and for schools to be safe. We will not let fear nor terror have the upper hand,” she said.

The Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Tony Lake, called the attack “horrific” and “callous” and said it should have more effect than merely to shock the conscience of the world.

“It must also summon us, all the more, to support the parents of Pakistan who wish for their children the best possible education – and all those who are working to provide it,” he said.

The UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, spoke during a visit to Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he is visiting schools and meeting children.

Brown said the world was mourning “a human tragedy of monstrous proportion” that would bring grief to every school in the world.

“The whole world will be shocked and heartbroken at the massacre in Peshawar that has destroyed so many innocent young lives,” he said. “Prime Minister Sharif has called the attack a national tragedy and our thoughts are with families and school friends. Our hope is that emergency assistance can come immediately to those who are injured.”
 

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.