- India condemned Pakistan's airstrikes on a Kabul drug treatment centre as barbaric and cowardly
- The attack on Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital killed 400 and injured nearly 250 civilians
- India called Pakistan's actions a blatant assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and regional peace
India has condemned Pakistan's airstrikes on a hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul, calling the attack a "barbaric" and "cowardly" act of violence. This came after the Taliban regime accused Pakistan of killing at least 400 people in an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital late on Monday.
Pakistan has, meanwhile, denied the accusation that it had hit a hospital, saying its strikes, which were also conducted in eastern Afghanistan, did not hit any civilian sites.
India's Reaction
In a strong statement against Islamabad's attack on Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, the Foreign Ministry said, "This is a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence that has claimed the lives of a large number of civilians in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target."
Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation, the statement noted.
The ministry said the attack on the hospital was a "heinous act of aggression by Pakistan" and "is also a blatant assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability".
New Delhi said the attack reflects Islamabad's "persistent pattern of reckless behaviour" and its repeated attempts to "externalise internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders".
"That this attack was carried out during the holy month of Ramzan, a time of peace, reflection, and mercy among Muslim communities across the world, makes it all the more reprehensible. There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients," the statement said.
New Delhi also urged the international community to hold the perpetrators of the "criminal act" accountable and ensure that the wanton targeting by Pakistan of civilians in Afghanistan ceases without delay.
India also extended its "deepest condolences" to the bereaved families in Afghanistan and wished a swift recovery to those injured. It said that India stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this tragic moment and reiterated its "unwavering support" for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's Claim
Afghanistan's deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat, in a post on X, said the airstrike had hit the hospital in Kabul at about 9 pm local time, destroying large sections of the 2,000-bed facility. He said the number of deaths has "so far" reached 400 people, while about 250 people have been reported injured.
Local television stations posted footage on X showing security forces using flashlights as they carried out casualties while firefighters struggled to extinguish flames among the ruins of a building. Fitrat said rescue teams were working to control the fire and recover the bodies.
The strike came hours after Afghan officials said the two sides exchanged fire along their common border, killing four people in Afghanistan, as the deadliest fighting between the neighbours in years entered a third week.
Pakistan's Denial
Pakistan's Ministry of Information said earlier that Mujahid's claim was "false and misleading" and aimed at stirring sentiment and covering what it described as "illegitimate support for cross-border terrorism". It said Pakistan's targeting was "precise and carefully undertaken to ensure no collateral damage is inflicted".
Pakistan's government accuses Afghanistan of being a terrorist organisation by the United States, as well as outlawing Baloch separatist groups and other militants who frequently target Pakistani security forces and civilians across the country. Kabul denies the charge.
