The Interior Ministers of Pakistan and Tajikistan have expressed grave concern over what they described as the existence of terrorist sanctuaries and the increasing production of narcotics in Afghanistan during a meeting held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek.
On Friday, the two officials warned that approximately 25 terrorist groups are currently operating on Afghan soil under Taliban rule, a development they said poses a serious threat to regional stability.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, and Tajikistan’s Interior Minister, Ramazon Rahimzoda, emphasized that terrorist training facilities and drug-trafficking networks operating in Afghanistan have become a major source of concern for regional security.
Both countries, which are members of the SCO, maintain comparatively limited diplomatic engagement with the Taliban and have repeatedly accused the Afghan authorities of providing safe haven to militant groups.
Islamabad has on numerous occasions alleged that the Taliban are sheltering fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Pakistani officials contend that terrorist attacks within Pakistan have surged since the Taliban’s return to power and accuse the group of supporting militants and facilitating cross-border attacks against Pakistan. The Taliban have consistently rejected these allegations, insisting that Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter.
Meanwhile, Tajikistan has remained one of the Taliban’s most outspoken critics among Afghanistan’s neighboring states since the group’s return to power. Dushanbe has expressed particular concern over the activities of groups such as Ansarullah, ISIS-Khorasan (ISKP), and narcotics-trafficking networks operating near its borders.
Tajik authorities have also identified the movement of drug-smuggling networks across the Amu Darya border and the recurring clashes between Tajik border guards and traffickers as among the most serious security challenges facing the country.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
