Russia is deeply shocked by the terrorist attack on a passenger train in Pakistan and strongly condemns the assault, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova during a briefing.
“We are deeply shocked by the terrorist attack on a passenger train in Pakistan's Balochistan province, which occurred on March 11. Innocent civilians were harmed. We strongly condemn this terrorist act, as well as any other forms of terrorism in all its manifestations,” Zakharova stated.
She emphasized that such barbaric actions by militants have no justification. “The perpetrators must face justice. We stand in solidarity with Islamabad in the face of this global threat and reaffirm our commitment to strengthening constructive cooperation with Pakistan in counterterrorism efforts, both bilaterally and within multilateral frameworks,” the diplomat added.
Details of the Attack
On Tuesday, militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army took around 450 passengers hostage from a train traveling from Quetta (the administrative center of Balochistan) to Peshawar (the administrative center of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). The extremists blew up railway tracks and then opened fire on the train. A firefight ensued between security personnel onboard and the militants.
As reported by TASS, the Russian Consulate General in Karachi has no information regarding whether any Russian citizens were among the hostages.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on TASS materials