India condemns Pakistan’s airstrike on Kabul hospital, terms it ‘barbaric’

STC NEWS MONITORING DESK
NEW DELHI, MARCH 17 (STC): India has strongly condemned the reported Pakistani airstrike on a hospital in Kabul, terming it a “barbaric” act that claimed several civilian lives.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, India unequivocally condemns Pakistan’s barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul on the night of March 16. “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 reads.
The statement added that 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.
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.
The international community must hold the perpetrators of this criminal act accountable and ensure that the wanton targeting by Pakistan of civilians in Afghanistan ceases without delay, reads the statement.
Meanwhile, 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. “We also reiterate our unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan,” the External Affairs Ministry said.
(Straight Talk Communications I Inputs from Agencies)