Pakistan condemns Easter Day bombings on Sri Lanka churches, hotels

Mourners stand beside a coffin of a bomb blast victim at a funeral service at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo on April 23, 2019, two days after a series of bomb blasts targeting churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. (AFP)

A view of the damage at St. Sebastian Catholic Church, after bomb blasts ripped through churches and luxury hotels on Easter, in Negombo, Sri Lanka April 22, 2019. (REUTERS)

Security personnel stand guard outside St. Anthony's Shrine in Colombo on April 22, 2019, a day after the church was hit in a series of bomb blasts targeting churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. (AFP)

Sri Lankan Army soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony's Shrine after a blast in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2019. (AP Photo)

• Four Pakistanis among injured
• Foreign minister Qureshi speaks to Sri Lankan Prime Minister to express solidarity

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned the string of deadly Easter day bombings in Sri Lanka which have so far killed more than 280 people and injured at least 500, including four Pakistanis, in a series of blasts targeting churches and hotels in three cities.
The foreign ministry confirmed that three Pakistani women and a child were injured in the blasts. All four sustained minor injuries and were discharged after receiving treatment.
“Strongly condemn the horrific terrorist attack in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday resulting in precious lives lost & hundreds injured. My profound condolences go to our Sri Lankan brethren. Pakistan stands in complete solidarity with Sri Lanka in their hour of grief,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a twitter post.
Hours after the bombings, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to Sri Lankan Prime Minster Ranil Wickremesinghe to express his deepest condolences on behalf of Prime Minister Khan, and extended Pakistan’s help and support to the government and people of Sri Lanka.
A statement from the foreign office said Qureshi had conveyed sympathies to the victims’ families and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
In their conversation, he also said that as a victim of prolonged terrorism, Pakistan “fully understands the pain of their Sri Lankan brethren”
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bombings in a country which has seen a lull in major attacks since the end of its civil war 10 years ago, during which time bomb blasts in the capital were common.
The Sri Lankan government declared a curfew and has blocked access to most major social media and messaging sites on a day that is celebrated by Christians around the world as the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his death on the cross.