Pakistan condemns killing of Chinese workers in Tajikistan near Afghan border

Pakistan condemned on Thursday the killing of three Chinese workers in a terrorist attack in Tajikistan near the Afghan border, calling the strike a “heinous” act and a stark reminder of the security threat emanating from Afghanistan.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed solidarity and extended condolences to the governments and people of China and Tajikistan over the loss of life.

The Foreign Office said the use of armed drones in the attack underscored “the gravity of the threat and the brazenness of those behind it.”

Pakistan recalled its own experience as a victim of terrorism originating from across the Afghan border and said it “fully shares the grief and anguish” of China and Tajikistan.

Islamabad reiterated that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against neighboring states. It said the continued presence of terrorist elements in Afghanistan “under the patronage of the Afghan Taliban regime” posed a serious regional concern.

Pakistan stressed that “concrete and verifiable action” was needed against terrorist networks and called for those responsible — including facilitators and financiers — to be held accountable.

The Foreign Office reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to work with China, Tajikistan and other regional partners to promote peace and stability.

Tajik authorities said Thursday that the attack, launched from Afghanistan, killed three Chinese nationals working in Tajikistan’s south near the border.

The foreign ministry in Dushanbe said the strike involved firearms and a drone carrying grenades.

“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.

Tajikistan has strained relations with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and several clashes have taken place along the border in recent months.

The government rarely issues detailed public comments on such incidents, and it did not say who it believes carried out the attack.

Militants operate in the mountainous border region, which stretches roughly 1,350 kilometers (840 miles) between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Tajikistan, a Muslim-majority country and one of the poorest in the former Soviet Union, has long voiced concern about the risk of growing extremism since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

President Emomali Rakhmon, in power since 1992, openly criticizes the Taliban and has urged the group to respect the rights of ethnic Tajiks. Tajiks are estimated to make up about a quarter of Afghanistan’s population of 40 million.

Despite tensions, Tajikistan and the Taliban have engaged cautiously on several fronts, including diplomatic contact, the opening of cross-border markets and electricity supplies.

Several Chinese companies operate in Tajikistan, particularly in mining and natural resources sectors concentrated in the mountainous areas near Afghanistan.

A Chinese worker was also killed last year in a similar attack close to the Afghan border.

China and Pakistan have long cooperated on security issues, particularly through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, where Chinese workers have repeatedly come under attack in recent years.