NEW DELHI: India on Monday "unequivocally" condemned the Pakistani attack on civilians in Afghanistan, describing it as Islamabad's "old practice" of blaming its neighbors for its internal failures.
Kabul has claimed that Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Paktika province on December 24 last year led to the deaths of at least 51 people, including women and children.
Responding to media queries regarding airstrikes on Afghan civilians, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost.”
“We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians. It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbors for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard," he added.
In a rare series of airstrikes, Pakistan on December 24 targeted multiple suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of at least 51 people, including women and children.
The strikes hit a mountainous area in Paktika province, which borders Pakistan. Seven villages were affected, particularly Laman, where five members of a single family were killed in the attack.
Following the strike, tensions escalated at the border, with the Taliban warning of retaliation against Pakistani aggression.
“Afghanistan considers this brutal act a blatant violation of all international principles and an obvious act of aggression," Enayatullah Khowrazmi, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence, said in a warning to Pakistan, adding that the Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered."