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India condemns Pakistan airstrikes on Afghanistan : ‘Old practice to blame neighbours for own failures’
Taliban claimed that 46 people including women and children were killed in the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan.
India on Monday condemned Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghanistan, calling it an “old practice” of Islamabad to “blame its neighbours for its own internal failures”.
“We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost. We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians.
It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard,” a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs stated.
46 killed in Pakistan airstrikes, claim Taliban
In December, Taliban claimed that 46 people including women and children were killed in the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan.
Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan government, was quoted by AP as saying that those killed in the strikes that targeted four locations in Barmal, a district in the province of Paktika, were refugees, adding that six others were also wounded.
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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani claimed in a statement that 50 people, including 27 women and children, died in the strikes. He said they were "unarmed refugees" who fled to Afghanistan because of Pakistan’s offensive in the northwest.
The TTP — a separate group but also a close ally of the Afghan Taliban — also shared photos, alleging they were of children killed during the Pakistani operation.
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The strikes came hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, traveled to Kabul to discuss a range of issues.
Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry in Kabul summoned the Pakistani envoy and lodged a strong protest over the strikes by Pakistan's military. In a statement, it said while a representative of the civilian government of Pakistan was busy in talks with the Afghan officials, the strikes were carried out by Pakistani forces to "create mistrust in the relations between the two countries.”
It said Kabul “will not accept the violation of the country’s territory under any circumstances, and the country is ready to defend its independence and territory” and "such irresponsible actions will definitely have consequences.”
(With AP inputs)
