Pakistan on Friday condemned the killing of Chinese nationals in a terrorist attack in Tajikistan, offering condolences and solidarity to both China and Tajikistan over the incident near the Afghan border.
On Thursday, three Chinese workers were killed in Tajikistan while a fourth was injured, with the Tajik foreign ministry saying a drone and firearm attack launched from Afghanistan near the border had hit workers of a Chinese company in the country’s south. The Chinese Embassy in Tajikistan, in a statement, strongly condemned the armed attack and demanded Dushanbe thoroughly investigate the attack and severely punish the perpetrators.
“Pakistan unequivocally condemns this cowardly attack on Chinese nationals,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “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.
Noting it had repeatedly suffered terrorist attacks launched from Afghan soil, the Foreign Office said the people of Pakistan fully understood and shared the grief and anguish of “our Chinese friends and Tajik partners.”
It reiterated Pakistan’s repeated demands for an end to the use of Afghan territory for terrorism against 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 stressed.
“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,” read the statement. “Pakistan will continue to work closely with China, Tajikistan and other regional partners to promote peace, stability and security in our shared neighborhood,” it added.
Both Pakistan and Tajikistan have strained ties with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, with both countries reporting border clashes in recent months.