India rebukes Pakistan for strikes in Afghanistan, calls them 'blatant act of aggression'
PTC News Desk: India has strongly criticised Pakistan for carrying out airstrikes in Afghanistan over the weekend, calling them irresponsible and a clear act of aggression that could harm peace and stability in the region. The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan said the Pakistani strikes hit three eastern provinces, killing 36 civilians and injuring 163 others.
Pakistan, however, said 29 people were killed and claimed they were militants linked to a deadly attack in Karachi. Afghan authorities have repeatedly rejected Pakistan's allegations that attackers operate from Afghan territory.
What India Said
In an official statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs said it strongly condemns Pakistan's airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Pakistan had claimed the strikes targeted terrorist hideouts, but India noted that the attacks caused civilian deaths and injuries, including among women and children.
"This blatant act of aggression by Pakistan is an 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 futile attempt to externalise internal failures through desperate acts of violence beyond its borders," the statement read.
Pakistan carried out its deadliest attack on Afghanistan in recent months, saying on Monday that its airstrikes killed dozens of militants. However, Afghan officials reported that civilians were among the casualties.
The overnight strikes marked another escalation in tensions between the two neighbouring countries, whose relations have remained strained since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The attacks came after weeks of conflict that began in February.
According to local residents, one of the strikes hit a house where innocent civilians, including children, women and elderly people, were asleep. In Paktika province, community leader Amin Mangal said a Pakistani strike on a home killed six people. He said the victims were poor and depended on charity for survival.
The cross-border operation was Pakistan's deadliest action in Afghanistan since March, when an attack on a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul reportedly killed hundreds, according to the United Nations. Pakistan's Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the latest operation targeted Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
- With inputs from agencies
