Nine Tourists shot dead in Northern Pakistan

BBC's Orla Guerin, in Islamabad, said the attack happened near the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest peak in the world. image credit BBC

Gunmen have killed 10 people, including nine foreign tourists after storming a hotel in far northern Pakistan.

Officials say the victims include five Ukrainians, as well as nationals from China and Lithuania. A Nepalese tour guide was also killed.

The assault happened at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the world's ninth highest mountain, in Gilgit-Baltistan.

It is the first such attack on tourists in the region. The Pakistani Taliban has told the BBC it was responsible.

A spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of its second-in-command, Waliur Rehman, who died in a suspected US drone strike in May.

The group said it would continue to target foreigners.

Part of the Himalayan Range, Nanga Parbat, standing at 8,126m (26,660ft), is popular with trekkers and mountaineers, especially during June and July.

The assault is seen as a significant blow for Pakistan's already struggling tourist industry, the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani reports from Islamabad.

Gilgit-Baltistan forms part of the larger disputed Kashmir region, which has been the subject of conflict between India and Pakistan since both countries declared independence in 1947.

In recent years, the region has suffered a spate of attacks by militants targeting Pakistan's Shia Muslim minority.

Remote area
A Chinese tourist has survived the assault. Police initially said 10 tourists had died. Earlier reports also said that a Russian had been killed. But a local tour operator told the BBC the victim had in fact been from Lithuania.

The trekkers had planned to climb Nanga Parbat in the coming days, the operator said.

Some 40 climbers are currently reported to be on the mountain.

Up to 20 attackers, reportedly dressed in local paramilitary uniforms, stormed the hotel at the base camp in the foothills of Nanga Parbat shortly after midnight.

"Unknown people entered a hotel where foreign tourists were staying last night and opened fire," Ali Sher, a senior police officer, told Reuters.
The gunmen tied up local Pakistani staff and told them not to attempt to raise the alarm until morning, local official said.

The attackers allegedly took the foreigners' money and passports before shooting them.

The remote area in Diamer district, which can only be reached by foot or on horseback, has been sealed off and a manhunt is under way.

Officials said army choppers had been dispatched to the region to retrieve the bodies.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have condemned the attack.

Mr Sharif, who was re-elected earlier this month, said "such acts of cruelty and inhumanity" would not be tolerated.

Meanwhile Gilgit governor Syed Mehdi Shah is set to hold a meeting with regional law enforcement agencies on Sunday to discuss the security situation in the area, Radio Pakistan reports.

"A lot of tourists come to this area in the summer, and our local people work to earn money from these people," he said.

"This will not only affect our area, but will adversely affect all of Pakistan."

Gilgit-Baltistan is famous for its natural beauty and the main city of Gilgit is seen as a gateway to the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges

BBC