New York, Aug 17 (ANI): United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said that he was appalled by the sectarian killing of 20 Shia Muslims, who were dragged off a bus and shot in northern Pakistan on Thursday.

The secretary general expresses his outrage over such deliberate attacks on people due to their religious beliefs in Pakistan, The Dawn quoted UN spokesman Martin Nesirky, as saying in a statement.

Gunmen dragged the Shia travellers off a bus in the northwestern district of Mansehra and killed them at point blank range, officials said.

It was the third attack of its kind in six months. (ANI)