India on Monday condemned the recent Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan, emphasizing that it is Islamabad’s “longstanding pattern” to blame its neighbours for its internal failures.
“We have noted media reports of airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several civilian lives have been lost,” said Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), while responding to media queries. “We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians. It is a longstanding pattern of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard,” he added.
The Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan on December 24 resulted in the deaths of 46 civilians, including women and children, sparking global criticism and a stern warning from Afghanistan’s current regime. This marked the second such instance in 2024 of Islamabad targeting civilian areas on Afghan territory. In March, a similar strike had killed eight people, including three children.
“Afghans will not forget the invasion of their territory, and Pakistani rulers should adopt a measured policy,” said Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. He made these remarks while marking the 45th anniversary of the Soviet invasion, drawing parallels between historical invasions of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s actions. Muttaqi further warned Pakistan to “learn from the fate of the Soviet Union and the United States,” emphasizing that Afghanistan will never accept invasions.
Hamid Karzai, the former President of Afghanistan, condemned the strikes “in the strongest terms,” calling them a blatant aggression and a violation of Afghan sovereignty. Karzai argued that the tension between the two nations was a result of Pakistan’s flawed policy of strengthening extremism in the region while trying to weaken Afghanistan. He called for civilised relations based on good neighbourliness, which he said would benefit both countries.
Enayatullah Khwarazmi, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Defence, echoed this sentiment, stating, “The Islamic Emirate considers this brutal act a violation of all international principles and an outright aggression. The Pakistani side must understand that such arbitrary actions are not a solution to any problem.”
In response to the airstrikes, Pakistan’s Chargé d’Affaires in Kabul, Hafiz Zia Ahmad, was summoned to the Afghan foreign ministry and issued a strong demarche, further highlighting the rising tensions between the two countries.
(Inputs from IANS)
