The Congress party on Tuesday strongly condemned Pakistan’s air strike on a hospital in Kabul that killed nearly 400 people, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling the attack an act of barbarism that must be rejected by the entire global community.
“On behalf of the Indian National Congress, we are deeply distressed by the horrific loss of civilian lives in Kabul following the recent air strikes by Pakistan on a hospital, which killed nearly 400 people. We condemn such acts against humanity in the strongest possible terms. Such barbarism must be strongly rejected globally,” Kharge said in a post on X.
He extended condolences to the Afghan people and the families of those killed. “India shares longstanding bonds of friendship and goodwill with the people of Afghanistan. In this difficult moment, we stand in sympathy with our Afghan neighbours and pray for peace, healing, and stability for their nation,” he said.
What Happened in Kabul
Afghanistan‘s Deputy Government Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat confirmed on Tuesday morning that the death toll from the air strike had risen to 400, with a further 250 people reported injured. The strike hit a hospital treating drug users in the Afghan capital on Monday night, destroying large sections of the building. Fitrat said rescue teams were working to control the fire at the structure and recover the bodies of victims.
Background to the Conflict
The strikes come amid an escalating military confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan that began in late February, after Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks in response to earlier Pakistani air strikes inside Afghan territory that Kabul said had killed civilians. The fighting disrupted a ceasefire that had been brokered by Qatar in October following an earlier round of clashes that had killed dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants on both sides.
