Brussels, 11/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 10 January, as Pakistan was hit by four attacks that killed 125 people and wounded over 100, coming in the wake of other recent acts of violence. Michael Mann, the spokesman for Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told EUROPE on Friday 11 January that “it is essential that the Pakistani authorities and all right-thinking Pakistani citizens should speak out and act against this climate of violence - which seems to be worsening as we approach the elections - and that they do everything in their power to reinforce the rule of law, as impunity for terrorist crimes is certainly one of the reasons for their becoming so frequent”. Mann gave his assurance that the EU would support Pakistan “at this difficult time”. France and Great Britain also condemned the attacks, which were mainly aimed at the Shiite community. (CG/transl.jl)