ISLAMABAD: China and Tajikistan have pledged closer counter-terrorismcoordination following high-level talks in Dushanbe, expressing alarm overthe expanding footprint of militant groups inside Afghanistan and theirthreat to regional stability.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China and his Tajik counterpart SirojiddinMuhriddin held the first China-Tajikistan Foreign Ministers’ StrategicDialogue on Saturday, with Afghanistan’s deteriorating security situationdominating the agenda.
Tajikistan voiced grave concern over the increasing activities of IslamicState-Khorasan (IS-K) and the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), bothof which maintain bases and recruitment networks across the border.
China reiterated that the Taliban must honour commitments not to allowAfghan territory to be used for terrorism, demanding concrete steps ratherthan verbal assurances to prevent attacks on neighbouring states.
Both sides agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing, joint bordermanagement, and coordination within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisationto counter cross-border militant movements.
The joint stance aligns closely with Pakistan’s long-held position thatlasting peace in Afghanistan requires dismantling all terror sanctuaries, aview repeatedly conveyed by Islamabad to the Taliban administration.
Read Top Stories
Analysts say the growing convergence among Afghanistan’s neighbours couldincrease diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to deliver verifiablecounter-terrorism results or risk further isolation.
The meeting signals a unified regional front at a time when IS-K hasintensified attacks inside Afghanistan and continues to project threatstoward Central Asia and beyond.