Jakarta ( WNAM MONITORING): The Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed that an Indonesian diplomat posted in Pakistan escaped unharmed from a bomb attack targeting the diplomatic corps in the northwestern part of the country.
Ministry spokesperson Rolliansyah Soemirat said that the diplomat, ad interim Indonesia’s chargé d’affaires for Pakistan, was safe. He was en route for an Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) agenda on Sunday when the bomb attack occurred.
“Chargés d’affaires ad interim for the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad and all members of the diplomatic corps entourage are unharmed and have returned to Islamabad safely,” Soemirat informed in a written statement received here on Monday.
Other diplomats who survived the bomb attack were from Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Portugal.
The attack, which involved an improvised explosion device (IED), occurred on the road leading to Malam Jabba tourism attraction in Swat Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. A police officer died in the attack and three others were injured.
No party has claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the ministry spokesperson.
“The Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad will continue coordinating with Pakistani authorities to ensure the safety and security of all Indonesians in Pakistan,” Soemirat said.
According to the embassy’s data, at least 1,200 Indonesians, mostly students and Indonesians married to locals, are residing in the South Asian country.
The embassy also informed that “inaccurate pictures” purportedly depicting Sunday’s attack have been circulating in international media. Hence, residents are advised to monitor the news responsibly, Soemirat said.
