By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, denouncing the “reckless act” that coincided with Iran’s new president taking office.
In a statement, the foreign office expressed “deep shock” over the timing of the killing, which occurred as several foreign dignitaries, including Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, attended the presidential inauguration.
“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings irrespective of the motives.”
Haniyeh, 62, was ambushed at his Tehran residence, Iranian state television reported. Iran’s state television announced the killing of the Palestinian leader early Wednesday. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards said Haniyeh and a security guard had been ambushed in their place of residence and an investigation was underway.
Haniyeh was in Iran for the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected reformist president Masoud Pezeshkian.
“Pakistan condemns the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the Chief of Hamas Political Bureau in Tehran today,” the foreign office said. “We are deeply shocked by the timing of this reckless act, coinciding with the inauguration of the President of Iran, an event attended by several foreign dignitaries, including the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan.”
Pakistan’s foreign office criticized what it called “growing Israeli adventurism in the region”, urging the international community to take notice of the escalating tensions.
“Its latest acts constitute a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region and undermine efforts for peace,” the statement said.
In Karachi, thousands attended funeral prayers in absentia for Haniyeh, with speakers praising his resistance against Israel and calling for support for the Palestinian cause.
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