Pakistan denounces growing Islamophobia after Canada killings

Islamabad, Jun 8 (EFE).- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday denounced “growing Islamophobia” in the West after four members of a Pakistani-origin Muslim family were killed in Canada.

“This condemnable act of terrorism reveals the growing Islamophobia in Western countries,” Khan tweeted.

He added that the hate towards the Muslim community “needs to be countered holistically by the international community,” repeating an issue he has often raised since assuming office in 2018.

Similarly, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoom Qureshi called the incident “a brutal act of mass murder.”

“This is an act of terror rooted in unspeakable hatred & Islamophobia,” he said on Twitter.

The Pakistani embassy in Canada said in a statement that the attacked Muslim family was of Pakistani origin.

The attack took place on Sunday night in London, a city of 500,000 residents situated around 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Toronto, when the accused Nathaniel Veltman drove into five members of a family on a sidewalk.

After running over the family at a high speed, the vehicle sped away from the scene.

A 74-year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, another woman aged 44 and a 15-year-old girl were killed in the incident.

The fifth victim, a 9-year-old boy, remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

The police has not released the identities of the victims.

London’s police chief Steve Williams said that “the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed shock and horror at the incident.

“To the Muslim community in London and to Muslims across the country, know that we stand with you. Islamophobia has no place in any of our communities,” he tweeted. EFE

jlr/ia