India has strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory that resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in an official statement, said India strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory that led to civilian deaths, including those of women and children.
Condemning Pakistan’s action, Jaiswal described it as an attempt by Islamabad to “externalise its internal failures.”
“It is another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures,” the statement said.
Jaiswal also reiterated India’s support for Afghanistan, stating that India stands firmly for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
“India reiterates its support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence,” he said.
The MEA’s remarks came after Pakistan carried out airstrikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan on February 22, 2026, aiming at groups blamed for recent attacks on Pakistani soil.
Afghanistan reacts
Following the strikes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul over what it termed Pakistani “army attacks” in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the IEA summoned the Pakistani Ambassador in Kabul,” the statement said, adding that the envoy was called in after attacks in Nangarhar and Paktika that allegedly left dozens of civilians dead or wounded.
Human rights group flags Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory
Meanwhile, the International Human Rights Foundation (IHRF) issued an urgent warning over verified reports of a devastating airstrike in Afghanistan’s Behsud district.
In a post on X, the organisation said a Pakistani military strike hit a civilian home, leading to the “massacre of at least 16 members of a single family.”
The victims, including men, women and children, ranged in age from a one-year-old infant to an 80-year-old elder, according to local sources cited by the IHRF.
The foundation said the incident represented “not just a loss of life, but the complete annihilation of a family lineage.”
While 16 relatives were killed, two children reportedly survived the strike, and at least one other person, identified as 20-year-old Riyazullah, was injured.
Those killed included 80-year-old Shahabuddin, 30-year-old Sharakat and 40-year-old Muhmanda, along with several other adults and minors.
Emphasising the human cost, the IHRF said, “They are not numbers; they are human beings.”
The Behsud strike appears to be part of a wider campaign. Tolo News reported that Pakistani aircraft carried out multiple air raids in the Khogyani district of Nangarhar and also targeted a religious seminary in the Bermal district of Paktika province.
Pakistan has reportedly conducted several strikes since Saturday in Bermal and Argun in Paktika, as well as in Khogyani, Behsud and Ghani Khel districts of Nangarhar.
(With ANI inputs)
