India on Tuesday issued a scathing condemnation of Pakistan following a devastating airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul.
The strike, which occurred on the night of March 16, 2026, has reportedly left at least 400 people dead and 250 injured, according to officials from the Afghan Taliban government. In a sharply worded statement released on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the attack as a "cowardly and unconscionable act of violence" targeting a facility that serves the most vulnerable members of society.
The Indian government rejected Pakistan's attempt to frame the incident as a military engagement, asserting that "Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation." New Delhi further emphasised that the facility "can by no means be justified as a military target."
The MEA characterised the strike as a "blatant assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability," reflecting what it described as Pakistan’s "persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its repeated attempts to externalise internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders."
The timing of the attack was also highlighted as a factor of particular cruelty.
India noted that the strike was carried out during the holy month of Ramzan, "a time of peace, reflection, and mercy among Muslim communities across the world," which makes the act "all the more reprehensible." The statement argued that "there is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients."
India concluded its reaction by calling on the international community to "hold the perpetrators of this criminal act accountable" and ensure that the "wanton targeting by Pakistan of civilians in Afghanistan ceases without delay."
Extending its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wishing a swift recovery to those injured, India stood "in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this tragic moment" and reiterated its "unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan."
