New York, NY (BBN)- Secretary-General Ki-moon strongly condemned Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack on a hotel in northern Pakistan, with a staff member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) among those killed.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban is saddened by the large number of people killed and wounded in the attack on the Pearl Continental Hotel in the city of Peshawar.
He said that Aleksander Vorkapic, the UNHCR employee who died in the attack, was part of an emergency team recently sent to Pakistan to assist with the current displacement crisis in the South Asian nation’s north-west.
“Once again, a dedicated staff member of the United Nations is among the victims of a heinous terrorist attack which no cause can justify,” the statement said.
On the humanitarian front, UNHCR said that it continues to extend its shelters to accommodate the flood of displaced people in north-west Pakistan, while a growing numbers of pregnant women uprooted by the military offensive against militants in the region are seeking essential medical care.
Among the over 2 million people displaced by the conflict are an estimated 70,000 pregnant women, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), with more than 250 giving birth every day and as many as 40 facing potentially life-threatening complications that call for skilled medical help.
BBN/SS/SI/AD-10June09-2:09 pm (BST)
