ISLAMABAD/DUSHANBE: Pakistan has expressed solidarity with China and Tajikistan over the killing of three Chinese workers in a terrorist attack in Tajikistan near its border with Afghanistan, stating that the repeated use of Afghan soil by terrorists is a matter of serious concern for the entire region and the wider international community.
“Pakistan expresses its deepest condolences and strong solidarity with the Government and people of the People’s Republic of China, as well as with the Government and people of Tajikistan, over the loss of precious lives of Chinese nationals in a heinous terrorist attack in Tajikistan near its border with Afghanistan,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
“Pakistan unequivocally condemns this cowardly attack on Chinese nationals.
The use of armed drones in the incident underlines the gravity of threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those behind it,” it said, adding, “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 statement said 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 Afghan Taliban regime, is a matter of serious concern for the entire region and the wider international community,” it added.
It emphasised that concrete and verifiable action against the perpetrators, abettors, facilitators and financiers of terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil is the only way to address this growing menace. “Pakistan will continue to work closely with China, Tajikistan and other regional partners to promote peace, stability and security in our shared neighbourhood,” it added.
Three Chinese workers in Tajikistan were killed in an attack launched from Afghanistan near the border, Tajik authorities said Thursday, AFP reported.
Tajikistan has strained relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan and several border clashes have broken out in recent months.
The foreign ministry of Tajikistan said a drone and firearm attack hit workers of a Chinese company in the country´s south. “The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three employees of Chinese nationality,” it said in a statement.
Dushanbe rarely comments officially on such incidents, and it did not say who it suspects carried out the attack. Militants from jihadist groups are active in the mountainous border region.
Tajikistan’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, “criminal groups located in the neighbouring country (Afghanistan) continue to commit acts aimed at destabilising the situation in the border regions.”
Several Chinese companies operate in Tajikistan, particularly in mining and natural resources, often located in the mountainous border areas. One Chinese worker was killed last year in a similar attack near the Afghan border.
