India Sends Medical Aid to Afghanistan After Pakistan's Kabul Hospital Strike

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India will continue to provide humanitarian support to Afghanistan in this difficult time.

"To support the medical treatment and swift recovery of those injured in the heinous attack on 16 March, India delivers a 2.5-tonne consignment of emergency medicines, medical disposables, kits and equipment to Kabul. India stands in solidarity with the Afghan people and will continue to extend all possible humanitarian support in this difficult hour," Jaiswal posted on X.

India delivered assistance to Afghanistan after Pakistani strike on Monday night targetted the 2,000-bed Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul's Pul-e-Charkhi area, killing over 400 people and injuring more than 250 others.

On Tuesday, India condemned the Pakistani airstrikes on a hospital and rehab centre in Kabul and said that Islamabad is "now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation".

Unequivocally condemning the attack, MEA 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."

India said that the "heinous act of aggression" by Pakistan is also a "blatant assault" on Afghanistan's sovereignty and poses as a direct threat to regional peace and stability.

"It reflects 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 MEA said.

The ministry highlighted that what makes the strike "more reprehensible" is that Islamabad attacked Afghanistan during Ramadan -- a holy month for Muslims around the world and "a time of peace, reflection, and mercy".

"There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients," it said.

India also called on the international community to hold the perpetrators of the "criminal act" accountable and ensure that the "wanton targeting" by Pakistan on Afghan civilians ceases without delay.

Extending condolences, 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. We also reiterate our unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan."

- IANS