By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday strongly condemned a deadly attack in Tajikistan that killed three Chinese workers, attributing the assault to threats originating from Afghanistan and calling for urgent action against terrorist groups operating there.
The incident, which Tajik authorities described as involving firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, occurred near the border with Afghanistan and targeted employees of a Chinese company in the country’s south. It underscored the persistent instability in the region since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. “The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three employees of Chinese nationality,” the Tajik foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry, which rarely issues official comments on such events, did not identify suspects but noted that “criminal groups located in the neighbouring country (Afghanistan) continue to commit acts aimed at destabilising the situation in the border regions.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Office, in a statement, expressed condolences and solidarity with China and Tajikistan over what it called a “heinous terrorist attack in Tajikistan near its border with Afghanistan.” “Pakistan unequivocally condemns this cowardly attack on Chinese nationals,” the statement said. “The use of armed drones in the incident underlines the gravity of the threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those behind it.”
The Foreign Office added: “As a neighbour that has repeatedly suffered terrorist attacks orchestrated from Afghan soil, the people of Pakistan fully understand and share the grief and anguish of our Chinese friends and Tajik partners.”
The condemnation comes amid strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad accusing the Taliban government in Kabul of harbouring militants who launch cross-border attacks. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has been a central point of friction, as Pakistan demands that Afghan authorities crack down on the group. The Taliban have denied the allegations, insisting that Afghan territory is not being used for terrorism against neighbours.
Pakistan’s statement emphasised its long-standing position. “Pakistan has consistently stressed that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against its neighbours or any other country. The repeated use of Afghan soil by terrorist elements and their continued presence under the patronage of the Afghan Taliban regime, is a matter of serious concern for the entire region and the wider international community.”
It called for “concrete and verifiable action against the perpetrators, abettors, facilitators and financiers of terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil” as the only means to address “this growing menace.” The Foreign Office pledged that “Pakistan will continue to work closely with China, Tajikistan and other regional partners to promote peace, stability and security in our shared neighbourhood.”
The attack has amplified regional anxieties about extremism spilling over from Afghanistan. Last week, Denmark, acting as chair of the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions committee on the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, highlighted the “serious threat” posed by the TTP in Central and South Asia, stating that the group was receiving “logistical and substantial support” from the de facto Afghan authorities.
Tajikistan, a predominantly Muslim nation and one of the poorest in the former Soviet Union, has voiced ongoing concerns about rising extremism since the Taliban’s return to power. Militants remain active along the roughly 1,350-kilometer mountainous border shared with Afghanistan. President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, who has held power since 1992, has been outspoken in his criticism of the Taliban, urging them to respect the rights of ethnic Tajiks, who are estimated to constitute about a quarter of Afghanistan’s 40 million people.
Despite the tensions, Tajikistan has pursued limited engagement with the Taliban, including diplomatic meetings, the establishment of markets in border towns and the supply of electricity to Afghanistan.
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