Security personnel inspect the site of a suicide attack near Besham city in the Shangla district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on March 26, 2024. Five Chinese nationals working on the Dasu hydropower plant were killed along with their driver on March 26 when a suicide bomber targeted their vehicle in northwest Pakistan, officials said. Photo: AFP

The ministry of defense of the Afghan Taliban government on Wednesday rejected Pakistan's allegations that Afghans were involved in a terror attack in which five Chinese nationals were killed in Pakistan in March. Chinese analysts called for a thorough investigation into the attack and urged regional countries to strengthen joint counter-terrorism efforts as the anti-terrorism situation in Central and South Asia deteriorates.

Mufti Enayatullah Khorazmim, the spokesperson for Afghanistan's Taliban-run Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday that Afghans were not involved in the March terror attack and claimed that "blaming Afghanistan for such incidents is a failed attempt to divert attention from the truth of the matter," according to a Reuters report on Wednesday.

Pakistan military spokesman Major-General Ahmed Sharif told a news conference in Islamabad on Tuesday that the suicide bomb attack in March was planned in neighboring Afghanistan, "the car used in it was also prepared in Afghanistan, and the suicide bomber was also an Afghan national," according to media reports.

Five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed in a suicide terror attack on March 26 at the China-invested Dasu hydropower project. The Chinese Embassy to Pakistan has demanded Pakistan to conduct a thorough investigation and punish the culprits severely.

Chinese analysts emphasize the importance of conducting a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the terrorist attack, with detailed and compelling evidence presented. They underscore that China should refrain from becoming embroiled in the disputes of other countries, and the safety and interests of Chinese citizens and companies must be ensured.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have heightened amid recent security concerns. The Pakistani army and government have accused the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of launching attacks on Pakistan from Afghan territory, although the Afghan Taliban have denied these allegations.

China has always emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive investigation and swift apprehension of perpetrators, and it does not wish to become entangled in the affairs of any other country, Zhu Yongbiao, director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times.

Zhu said that it is alarming that the anti-terrorism situation in the Central and South Asian region, especially in the area centered around Afghanistan, is showing a deteriorating trend, with extensive interconnection and communication among terrorist and extremist groups, necessitating attention from all nations.

The international community must not disregard the issue of counter-terrorism, particularly in the Central and South Asian region, where the influence of terrorism is on the rise, said the expert.

Each country, including Pakistan and Afghanistan, may need to pragmatically seek a comprehensive solution to counter-terrorism issues amid disputes. This is essential to prevent the proliferation of terrorist forces, which could jeopardize national political security and regional stability, Zhu said.