Norway condemns deadly attack on university in NW Pakistan

Norway on Wednesday condemned the terrorist attack on a university in northwestern Pakistan that killed at least 20 people and injured many others.

"I condemn the terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University in northwestern Pakistan today in the strongest possible terms," Norway's foreign affairs minister Borge Brende said in a statement.

"Education is a fundamental human right, and this attack on an educational institution is also an attack on Pakistan's future," Brende said. "It is essential that the Pakistani authorities find the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

Norway has played a leading role in promoting the global coalition Safe Schools Declaration, which endorses guidelines for protecting schools and universities from military use during armed conflict.

"All schoolchildren and students should be able to feel safe on their way to and inside their schools and universities. This is a fundamental premise of Norway's global education effort and of the Safe Schools Declaration that 51 countries have endorsed," Brende said.

A splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for Wednesday's terrorist attack in Pakistan where militants opened fire on students and teachers in classrooms and hostels. Endit