Gunmen abducted an American official working for the UN refugee agency in Pakistan yesterday and killed his driver, the latest in a string of attacks on foreigners in the country.
John Solecki, head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in the southwestern city of Quetta, was on his way to his office when gunmen intercepted his vehicle and opened fire, killing his driver.
"We strongly condemn this attack on humanitarian workers in Pakistan who have been doing their utmost to deliver their humanitarian mission," the United Nations said in a statement.
There had been no claim of responsibility, Quetta police official Wazir Khan Nasir said.
Mr Solecki's vehicle crashed into a wall after the gunman opened fire from a car.
UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon's press office issued a statement condemning Mr Solecki's abduction and the killing of his driver. He also demanded Mr Solecki's immediate release.
"Such acts are aimed not only against UN personnel, but also against those they serve selflessly and with dedication," Mr Ban said in the statement.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said the agency was doing all it could to secure Mr Solecki's release, and expressed sympathy to the family of the driver, Syed Hashim, who had worked for UNHCR for 18 years and leaves a wife and four children.
"The targeting of those who help the world's most vulnerable people leaves all of us deeply shocked and saddened," Mr Guterres said in a statement from Geneva.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry condemned what it called a "dastardly terrorist act" and said all measures were being taken for Mr Solecki's safe recovery.
Security had been stepped up at the main crossing point into Afghanistan at Chaman, 100 kilometres northwest of Quetta, and at other points along the border to stop the kidnappers from taking their hostage into Afghanistan, another police official said.
Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
Both Taliban and separatist Baluch militants operate in the province where the UNHCR is helping Afghan refugees.