India Slams Pakistan Over Kabul Hospital Strike, Calls Attack ‘Barbaric And Cowardly’ As Death Toll Hits 400
India on Tuesday issued a strong condemnation of Pakistan following deadly strikes on Kabul that killed at least 400 people and wounded more than 250 others, including patients at one of the Afghan capital’s major hospitals.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) pulled no punches in its response, calling the attack “barbaric, cowardly and unconscionable” and accusing Islamabad of attempting to “dress up a massacre as a military operation.”
New Delhi noted that the strikes fell during the holy month of Ramzan, describing the timing as particularly disturbing. “There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients,” the MEA stated.
India further charged that the incident undermines Afghanistan’s sovereignty and constitutes “a direct threat to regional peace and stability.” The statement added that the attack “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.”
Among the structures hit was a 2,000-bed hospital in Kabul that also served as a drug rehabilitation centre. The building was reduced to rubble, with debris and personal belongings strewn across the site in the aftermath of the explosion.
Calling on the international community to hold those responsible to account and ensure the protection of civilians, the MEA said: “India extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, wishes a swift recovery to those injured, and stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this tragic moment.”
Pakistan Denies Targeting Civilian Sites
Pakistan flatly rejected the accusations. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar dismissed Afghan claims that a hospital or rehabilitation centre was struck as “entirely baseless.”
Tarar said Pakistan conducted six “precise, deliberate and professional” strikes aimed at militant and military infrastructure across Kabul and Nangarhar. “No hospital, no drug rehabilitation centre, and no civilian facility was targeted. The targets were military and terrorist infrastructure, including ammunition and technical equipment storage sites and other installations linked to hostile activity against Pakistan,” he said.