India has condemned the latest Pakistani airstrike on Afghanistan, labeling the timing, which came during the holy month of Ramadan, as ‘reprehensible’. In a strongly worded statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared, "There is no system of faith, law or morality that could justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients."
The government further characterised the incident as a blatant assault on Afghan sovereignty and a ‘direct threat to regional peace and stability’. Turning its focus towards Islamabad, the MEA suggested the strike was part of a ‘persistent pattern of reckless behaviour’, accusing Pakistan of attempting to mask its own internal failures through ‘increasingly desperate acts of violence’ across its borders.
The death toll from the devastating Pakistani airstrike on a Kabul hospital has reportedly soared to 400, according to Afghan officials. The facility, which specialised in treating drug addiction, was hit late on Monday night, leaving much of the building in ruins and sparking a massive fire that rescue teams are still struggling to contain.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, confirmed the staggering new figure via social media, adding that at least 250 others were injured in the blast. Most of the victims were patients undergoing rehabilitation, a tragedy highlighted by Afghan cricketer Mohammad Nabi, who shared heart-wrenching footage of the scene. Nabi described it as a night where ‘hope was extinguished’, noting that the attack fell on the 28th night of Ramadan, as mothers waited at the gates for sons who would never return.
Islamabad has responded to these charges with a fierce denial. A spokesman for Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mosharraf Zaidi, labelled the charges as ‘false and misleading’. He also stated that the Pakistani military had not targeted any civilian targets. The Pakistani government’s Ministry of Information stated that the attacks had been precise and had ‘targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure’. They also said that the mission had been carried out with extreme care in order to avoid any collateral damage to the local population.
The strike is the latest and most lethal escalation in what has become a bloody cross-border conflict. Hostilities flared earlier on Monday when mortar fire in the southeastern Khost Province led to the killing of four people, including two children. Pakistan, meanwhile, reported that an Afghan mortar hit a home in the Bajaur district a day earlier, claiming the lives of an entire family.
Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated into what Pakistan now describes as an ‘open war’. Islamabad continues to accuse the Taliban-led government of providing sanctuary to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), while Kabul maintains that the war has been ‘imposed’ upon them and vows to defend its sovereignty. Such an increase in violence is occurring at an important time in the diplomacy as the UN Security Council extends its political mandate in Afghanistan, but also seeks stronger counter-terrorism efforts from the Taliban leadership.
Also read: Pakistan launches airstrikes on Taliban targets in Kandahar
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