India condemns Pakistan's "barbaric airstrike" on a hospital in Kabul ::: New Delhi extends "unwavering support" for territorial integrity of Afghanistan

"India unequivocally condemns Pakistan's barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul on the night of March 16. This is a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence that has claimed the lives of a large number of civilians," MEA said in a statement. 

The hospital "by no means" could be justified as a military target, it said adding, "Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation".

Afghanistan has accused Pakistan’s military of launching an air strike on a hospital treating drug users in the capital, Kabul, killing at least 400 people.

The MEA further stated: "This heinous act of aggression by Pakistan is also a blatant assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty 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.

"That this attack was carried out during the holy month of Ramzan, a time of peace, reflection, and mercy among Muslim communities across the world, makes it all the more reprehensible," the MEA pointed out.

"There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients. The international community must hold the perpetrators of this criminal act accountable and ensure that the wanton targeting by Pakistan of civilians in Afghanistan ceases without delay.

"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. We also reiterate our unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan," the statement said.

The attack on Kabul’s Omar Addiction Treatment Hospital took place at about 9pm local time (16:30 GMT), according to Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government.

The hospital is a 2,000-bed facility, and the raid destroyed large sections of the building, he wrote on X.

“Unfortunately, the death toll has so far reached 400, while around 250 others have been reported injured. Rescue teams are currently at the scene, working to control the fire and recover the remaining bodies of the victims,” he added.  

Witnesses reported severe damage to the building, with sections collapsing after the strike. On Tuesday morning, only blackened walls and piles of debris remained while rescue teams searched the rubble for survivors.

Ambulance driver Haji Fahim said he had arrived at the hospital to find “everything was burning, people were burning”.

“Early in the morning they called me again and told me to come back because there are still bodies under the rubble,” he told Reuters news agency. 

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