Pakistani attack on Kabul hospital kills 400; India calls it 'barbaric'

New Delhi: India has condemned Pakistan's "barbaric" airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul on the previous night, describing it as 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".

The external affairs ministry said in a strongly worded statement that Pakistan was trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation. "This heinous act of aggression by Pakistan is also a blatant assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability. It reflects Pakistan's persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its repeated attempts to externalize internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders," it said.

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Pakistan has been continuing with its cross-border strikes on Afghanistan for weeks. Afghanistan's deputy government spokesman on Tuesday said 400 people had been killed after the Pakistan airstrike at a treatment centre for drug addicts in Kabul.

MEA further said, "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."

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India extended its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and said it wished a swift recovery to those injured and stood in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this tragic moment. The external affairs ministry also reiterated its unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.

UN special rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett said, "Dismayed by fresh reports of Pakistan's airstrikes in Afghanistan and resulting civilian casualties."