Iran, Pakistan condemn Peshawar attack

Tehran and Islamabad have condemned the assassination of a local official at Iran’s consulate in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

On Thursday, Abul Hassan Jafari, director of public relations at the consulate, was attacked by assailants as he was on his way to work. He died of severe injuries on the way to hospital.

According to Iran’s consul general Abbas-Ali Abdollahi, the local official was killed by two motorcycle riders, who escaped after the shooting.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Reza Gilani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi strongly condemned the attack and called it an attempt to damage the ties between the two countries, a Press TV correspondent reported.

In separate messages, the Pakistani officials deplored the attack and ordered provincial authorities to launch an investigation into the attack so that the culprits are apprehended.

Iranian Foreign ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast also condemned the attack in the strongest terms and called it absolutely ‘inhumane’.

He underlined the need to identify the culprits and bring them to justice.

He also urged Pakistan to tighten security measures to secure the safety of diplomats and diplomatic places as required by the international conventions.

This is not the first time that an official at Iran’s consulate in Peshawar comes under attack.

Last year, Iran’s commercial attache, Heshmatollah Attarzadeh-Niyaki, was kidnapped on his way to the consulate. The diplomat is still missing.