The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is keeping a close eye on developments at the Red Mosque in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

The Dutch embassy is in close contact with the local Dutch community. For some time, extremists have been challenging the authority of the Pakistani government. The Netherlands commends the government’s attempts to end the crisis through negotiations. Unfortunately, its attempts failed, and the army was forced to evacuate the mosque. The Netherlands regrets the large number of casualties and is dismayed at the extremists’ use of women and children as human shields.