KARACHI/ISLAMABAD- Pakistani leadership on Sunday strongly condemned Saturday night’s attack on foreign tourists at a tourist base camp near Fairy Meadows in Diamer area of Gilgit-Baltistan which resulted in ten deaths.
Condemning the incident, President Asif Ali Zardari asserted such ‘acts of barbarism’ would not be tolerated. The president expressed deep shock and sorrow over the unfortunate incident, and ordered the authorities to take stern action against the perpetrators of this ‘heinous crime’.
Offering sympathies to the bereaved families, Zardari said the government and people of Pakistan shared their grief and sorrow at this hour of distress. He also held out assurances that every possible action would be taken to nab the culprits and bring them to justice.
Flaying the attack, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said ‘such acts of cruelty and inhumanity’ would not be tolerated and every effort would be made to make Pakistan a safe place for tourists.
Expressing his sympathies with the bereaved families, Nawaz said, “The people and government of Pakistan stand by you in this hour of huge distress.” He termed the act as ‘heinous crime’, and said Pakistan would be turned into a safer country for foreigners.
Condemning the attack, Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called for a swift action against the terrorists. The entire nation should unite against the menace of terrorism, Bilawal said in a statement. He said terrorism was primarily aimed at making Pakistan hostage to gun-toting and bomb-lobbing terrorists. “Terrorism needs to be weeded out before it spreads as nation is being targeted under a pre-meditated strategy. From mosques, imambargahs and hospitals, the terrorists have now targeted tourists that spoke about their mindset, he said.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident and offered heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah flayed the incident, and termed it a conspiracy to defame Pakistan.  Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hassan also denounced the incident and expressed sympathies to the families of the victims. 
Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain, while condemning the incident, urged the authorities to take necessary measures to apprehend the culprits and make them feel the full weight of justice. This incident was highly ‘condemnable’ both for the loss of lives and for the bad reputation it had earned Pakistan in the world community. Hussain feared after this ‘shameful act’ the tourism sector would further decline. He urged the government to provide special security to foreign tourists, and also extended sympathies to the authorities in Russia, China and Ukraine on the loss of precious lives of their nationals.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, Shia Ulema Council chief Sajid Naqvi also condemned the incident, and called it an act of terrorism.  The Foreign Office strongly condemned the terrorist attack. "Pakistan expresses its deep sense of shock and grief on this brutal act of terrorism. Those who have committed this heinous crime seem to be attempting to disrupt the growing relations of Pakistan with China and other friendly countries," the Foreign Office said in a statement.