New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) India on Tuesday condemned the Pakistani airstrikes on a hospital and rehab centre in Kabul, where over 400 civilians were killed and at least 250 were injured and said that Islamabad is "now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation".
Pakistani airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul killed more than 400 people and injured at least 250 others, Taliban officials said, in what could become one of the deadliest incidents in the Afghan capital.
According to officials of the Taliban-led government, the strike targeted the 2,000-bed Umid addiction treatment hospital in Kabul at around 9 p.m. on Monday.
Unequivocally condemning the attack, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "This is a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence that has claimed the lives of a large number of civilians in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target. Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation."
India said that the "heinous act of aggression" by Pakistan is also a "blatant assault" on Afghanistan's sovereignty and poses as a direct threat to regional peace and stability.
"It reflects Pakistan's persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its repeated attempts to externalise internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders," the MEA said.
The Ministry highlighted that what makes the strike "more reprehensible" is that Islamabad attacked Afghanistan during Ramadan -- a holy month for Muslims around the world and "a time of peace, reflection, and mercy".
"There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients," it said.
India also called on the international community to hold the perpetrators of the "criminal act" accountable and ensure that the "wanton targeting" by Pakistan on Afghan civilians ceases without delay.
Extending condolences, the MEA said, "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."
--IANS
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