NZ's foreign minister telephones FM Qureshi, conveys condolences

ISLAMABAD: New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters on Sunday telephoned Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and conveyed condolences over the killing of nine Pakistanis in Christchurch incident.

Winston Peters conveyed his condolences and sympathies with the bereaved families of the victims and said, “The mindless killing spree carried out by the terrorists once again proved that terrorism knows no religion or boundaries.”

The foreign minister expressed deep sorrow on the behalf of his government and people over the loss of 50 precious lives and 34 critically injured.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi condemned the attack and called it a heinous and cowardly act. He said that Pakistan itself was a victim of terrorism and had lost over 70,000 lives, which affirms Pakistan’s narrative that terrorism was an international phenomenon, having no religion or boundary.

FM Qureshi prayed for early recovery of the injured in the incident and assured Pakistan’s support to the government and people of New Zealand in this hour of grief. He asked Winston Peters to provide assistance in transportation of bodies to Pakistan.

Read More: ‘We need to see motives behind New Zealand mosque attack’: FM Qureshi

Earlier, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, on March 16, had said Pakistani officials were in constant touch with the counterparts in New Zealand to facilitate families of Pakistanis who lost their loved ones in the mosque attack, ARY News reported Saturday.

Qureshi had said the government of Pakistan would make visa process easier for the affected families.

“We need to see the motives behind this barbaric attack,” he had added.