US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is greeted by Tajikistan's Prime Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi upon her arrival in Dushanbe on Friday. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

DUSHANBE: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Tajikistan on Saturday that efforts to crack down on religious freedom might backfire and increase sympathy for radical views that could threaten stability in the Central Asian country.

Clinton, who met Tajik President Imomali Rakhmon on a trip to thank two Central Asian states for their cooperation in the US-led war in neighboring Afghanistan, said freedom of religious expression was tied to the region’s future security.

“I disagree with restrictions on religious freedom and shared those concerns,” Clinton told a news conference after meeting Rakhmon.

She said efforts to regulate religion “could push legitimate religious expression underground, and that could build up a lot of unrest and discontent.”

Following visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Clinton was on the first leg of a Central Asian tour. She is due to visit Uzbekistan and meet President Islam Karimov later on Saturday.

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