Pakistan stands with Tajikistan, China after Afghan attack kills Chinese workers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Friday expressed “deepest condolences and strong solidarity” after an Afghanistan-based attack killed three Chinese workers in Tajikistan, pledging to work with “China, Tajikistan, and other regional partners” to uphold regional stability.

Earlier this week, Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the armed drone attack that killed the Chinese workers in the country’s southern Khatlon region, calling on Afghan authorities to take “disruptive actions by criminal groups located in the territory of Afghanistan.”

In a statement issued on X, the foreign office "unequivocally" condemned the "cowardly attack,"  stating that the use of "armed drones in the incident" underlined the "gravity of threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those behind it." 

"As a neighbor 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," FO said, adding that the country has consistently stressed that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against its neighbors or any other country.

On the repeated use of Afghan soil by "terrorist elements and their continued presence under the patronage of Afghan Taliban regime," the foreign office said that it was a matter of "serious concern for the entire region and the wider international community."

"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," the statement said.