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Where does India stand on Pak-Afghan clash? Amid ‘open war’, a look at what Delhi said earlier
An Afghan cross-border attack on Pakistan came on Thursday, in “retaliation” for the deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas over the weekend.
The latest flare-up and escalation of border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan has left the ceasefire brokered between the two countries by Qatar and Turkey in shambles. Islamabad claims to have killed over 130 Taliban operatives even as Afghanistan reportedly claims no casualties in the strikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
The airstrikes came following an Afghan cross-border attack, a move the country said was made in “retaliation” for the deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas over the weekend.
Amid renewed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where does India stand? While there is no official reaction from the Indian authorities over the latest flare-up yet, New Delhi has previously supported Afghanistan's sovereignity in its conflict with Pakistan.
‘Sponsors terror, blames neighbours’
A big escalation in border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan was seen back in October 2025, a development that coincided with Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's visit to India. Back then, India had come out in support of Afghanistan, lashing out at Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism and then blaming its neighbours.
“Three things are clear – one, that Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. Two, it is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures, and three, Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories," ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, clarifying that India stood behind Afghanistan's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
India had also denounced the death of Afghan civilians in the clashes last year and a similar stand was presented by New Delhi on Sunday, February 22, when Kabul claimed Islamabad targeted civilian areas in the provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika in eastern Afghanistan, leading to at least 18 deaths.
“India strongly condemns Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory that have resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan. It is another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures,” Jaiswal had said when asked about the strikes.
When India denied Pak's ‘baseless’ accusations
Back when a big escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan coincided with Muttaqi's visit to India in October last year, Islamabad had claimed that “Indian proxies” were operating from Afghan territory to target Pakistan. However, India had denied these allegations as “baseless”.
Pakistan's accusations had come at a time when the Taliban was escalating its diplomatic engagement with India, when Muttaqi met with external affairs minister S Jaishankar, the first high-level engagement between India and the Taliban since the regime took power in 2021.
What is happening between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
Fresh tensions have emerged between the border countries, in the backdrop of Afghanistan's “retaliatory” attacks on Pakistan for its strikes over the weekend, followed by Islamabad's targeting of the Afghan military in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said in a post on X as he accused Afghanistan of exporting terrorism.
Last week, Pakistan said its military operation had killed at least 70 militants, while Afghanistan alleged the strikes hit civilian areas. Days later, Afghanistan carried out a retaliatory cross-border attack on Pakistan, further escalating tensions. Hours later, Islamabad launched airstrikes on Kabul, claiming that more than 130 Taliban fighters were killed.
The offensive has cast doubts over the ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey last year.
