Pakistan condemns, expresses "deep shock" over Ismail Haniyeh's assassination

Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and expressed “deep shock” over the incident, which killed his bodyguard as well.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan condemns terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations, including extrajudicial and extraterritorial killings irrespective of the motives."

“It is 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 Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar,” The FO said in a statement issued on Wednesday.  

“Pakistan views with serious concern the growing Israeli adventurism in the region.”

She said its latest acts constitute a dangerous escalation in an already volatile region and undermine efforts for peace.

Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian resistance group, was attending the oath ceremony of recently elected president of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iranian news agency IRNA said Haniyeh was attacked via an air strike in the north of Tehran at around 2am local time.

Haniyeh will be laid to rest on Friday (August 2) at a cemetery in Qatar's capital, Doha.