TWO incidents of terrorism involving Afghanistan confirm repeated warnings by Pakistan that the nature of threat from Afghanistan is assuming alarming dimensions, which should be a matter of immediate concern for all members of the international community. In the first incident, an Afghan national shot at two National Guard soldiers near White House in Washington prompting President Donald Trump to order stricter scrutiny of all those entering the United States from Afghanistan. And, on Thursday, an armed attack launched from inside Afghanistan killed three Chinese employees working at a project site in Tajikistan's Khatlon region.
These, together with continuing terrorist attacks inside Pakistan from Afghanistan, bear testimony to the fact that Afghan soil is widely being used for acts of terrorism against other countries. Reacting to the tragic incident, the Tajik Government said the incident marked a dangerous escalation in tactics used by criminal groups operating across the frontier. It noted that the attack occurred despite its consistent efforts to maintain security and promote an atmosphere of peace and stability in the border areas shared with Afghanistan. It is shocking that terrorists based in Afghanistan previously attacked Chinese workers and engineers working on several development projects and now a similar attack has been launched against them in Tajikistan. This is loathsome as the Chinese Government has been instrumental in efforts to help restore normalcy in the war torn Afghanistan and is offering all possible assistance to the Afghan Government to mitigate economic difficulties of its people. It is particularly worrisome that terrorists are now using drones in their attacks, raising questions as to who is equipping them with such sophisticated weapons and with what motives. Pakistan Foreign Office, while condemning the attack in the strongest terms, has also referred to this aspect noting that it reportedly involved the use of armed drones, calling it a stark reminder of the "gravity of threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those behind it." 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. Tajikistan has urged the ruling authorities in Afghanistan to take effective and concrete measures to ensure stability and security along the shared frontier, warning that continued inaction would only increase instability in the border belt. Dushanbe also asked Kabul to uphold its responsibilities in safeguarding the state border, arguing that durable peace in the region is possible only if armed groups operating inside Afghanistan are restrained and prevented from launching such assaults. In fact 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. We express complete solidarity with the government and people of China for the loss of precious lives. China is a peace loving country and its leadership is prioritizing collaborative partnership with different countries to help accelerate the pace of socio-economic development. The use of drones and targeting of Chinese workers raises the possibility of involvement of an Indian hand in the conspiracy to terrorize Chinese and this aspect should also be probed by the Tajik authorities. There is also a need for China, Tajikistan and Pakistan to coordinate their activities to root out the menace of terror from the region. We also hope that the United States will also complement their efforts in this regard as terrorism is presenting alarming threats to the region and beyond as has also been highlighted in several UN reports.