NEW DELHI,18 March 2026: 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”.
The Congress also condemned the air strike by Pakistan that hit a hospital in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul and asserted that such barbarism must be strongly rejected globally.
The Congress on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) condemned the air strike by Pakistan that hit a hospital in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul and asserted that such barbarism must be strongly rejected globally.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “On behalf of the Indian National Congress, we are deeply distressed by the horrific loss of civilian lives in Kabul following the recent air strikes by Pakistan on a hospital, which killed nearly 400 people.”
“We condemn such acts against humanity in the strongest possible terms. Such barbarism must be strongly rejected globally,” he said on X.
Kharge extended his heartfelt condolences to Afghan brothers and sisters and to the families who have lost their loved ones.
“India shares longstanding bonds of friendship and goodwill with the people of Afghanistan. In this difficult moment, we stand in sympathy with our Afghan neighbours and pray for peace, healing, and stability for their nation,” Kharge said.
Afghanistan’s Deputy Government spokesman said early Tuesday (March 17, 2026) that the death toll from an air strike by Pakistan that hit a hospital treating drug users in the Afghan capital Kabul has increased to 400.
In a post on X, Hamdullah Fitrat said the strike on Monday (March 16, 2026) night had destroyed large sections of the hospital. He said the death toll so far stood at 400, while a further 250 people had been reported injured.
Fitrat said rescue teams were trying to control the fire at the building and recover the bodies of the victims.
The fighting began in late February after Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in response to Pakistani air strikes inside Afghanistan that Kabul said killed civilians.
The clashes disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October after earlier fighting killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants.
Picture credit social media
