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'Cowardly, unconscionable': India condemns Pak strike on Kabul hospital that killed 400
India said that the timing of the Kabul hospital strike, in the holy month of Ramzan which is an auspicious time for Muslims, makes it even more reprehensible.
India on Tuesday lashed out at Pakistan after strikes on a hospital in Afghanistan's Kabul left at least 400 people dead and over 250 injured. In a statement, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) called the strikes "barbaric, cowardly and unconscionable” and also accused Pakistan of trying to “dress up a massacre as a military operation”.
The government also said that the timing of the attack, in the holy month of Ramzan which is an auspicious time for Muslims, makes it even more reprehensible. “There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients,” the MEA statement said.
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The government further added that the attack was an assault on Afghanistan's sovereignity 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,” the statement said.
India also called on the international community to hold those behind the strikes responsible and ensure that Pakistan's targeting of civilians in Afghanistan stops. “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,” the MEA statement read.
Death and devastation took over a hospital with 2,000-bed capacity in Kabul where a strike left 400 people dead on Tuesday. However, Pakistan has denied attacking the premises, claiming that it only targeted military establishments in Afghanistan.
The hospital was a drug rehabilitation centre where many were undergoing treatment. Visuals from after the strike showed the building reduced to piles of brick, metal, and wood, with personal belongings of patients, including pillows, shoes, and items of clothing, left scattered among the debris.
News agencies quoted witnesses as saying that there were loud screams for help but not enough people around to assist them. "The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday," Ahmad, 50, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The strike marked the latest and the biggest escalation of the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Weeks before Islamabad had declared an “open war” with Afghanistan.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban of hosting militant groups that plan attacks inside its territory, an allegation Kabul denies.
