Dawn.com, Islamabad :
Condemnations and condolences poured in from world leaders on Wednesday in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University, expressing shock that yet another educational institution was attacked in Pakistan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in Switzerland on a six-day trip, to express grief over the attack, which left at least 20 dead. Mr Erdogan and Mr Sharif, during the conversation, agreed to enhance cooperation between the two countries to defeat terrorism.Indian leaders took to Twitter to denounce the attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his tweet: “Strongly condemn the terror attack at Bacha Khan University in Pakistan. Condolences to families of the deceased. Prayers with the injured.”
Prime Minister Sharif appreciated Mr Modi’s gesture and a statement issued by the Foreign Office said: “This incident is yet another reminder that terrorism is our common enemy and a cooperative approach is essential to eliminate it from the region.” Indian President Parnab Mukherjee made a number of tweets on the attack. “The strongly condemnable attack once again shows that no difference can be made between good and bad terrorists. All forms of terrorism and all manner of support to them need to be completely eradicated,” he said. European Union’s (EU) High Representative and Vice-President Federica Mogherini said the university strike was “another attack against the innocent, the youth and the very future of Pakistan”.
She said that, “an attack on a place of study is not only cowardly, but it is also an attack on all of us who believe in the power and importance of education.”
Ms Mogherini spoke of renewed EU support for Pakistan and other countries in the region in their fight against terrorism. “The fight is not theirs alone; we as the international community must all continue to face it and overcome it together,” she said.
