India cites UN report alleging hundreds of civilian deaths in Afghanistan due to Pakistani military strikes….reports Asian Lite News
India on Wednesday sharply criticised Pakistan at the United Nations, accusing it of hypocrisy over its claims of upholding international law while carrying out deadly cross border attacks on civilians in Afghanistan, including during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Addressing an open debate of the United Nations Security Council on the “Protection of civilians in armed conflict”, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, P. Harish, condemned Pakistan over what he described as repeated attacks on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure in Afghanistan.
Responding to remarks made by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad on Kashmir, Harish said the world could “see through Pakistan’s propaganda”.
“With no faith, no law, and no morality, the world can see through Pakistan’s propaganda,” Harish told the Security Council.
Citing findings from a recent report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), he said 750 civilian deaths and injuries were documented in Afghanistan during the first three months of 2026 as a result of cross border armed violence carried out by Pakistani military forces, largely through air strikes.
Harish accused Pakistan of violating humanitarian principles by targeting civilians and medical facilities. Referring to a UNAMA Human Rights Service report released on May 10, he highlighted an air strike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul during Ramadan.
“It was during the holy month of Ramadan, at a time of peace, reflection and mercy, that Pakistan conducted a barbaric air strike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul,” he said.
According to the UNAMA report, the strike killed 269 civilians and injured another 122 people at the hospital, which Harish said could “by no means be justified as a military target”.
Quoting the UN report, he said the attack took place after tarawih evening prayers, when several patients were leaving the mosque attached to the facility.
India’s envoy also said more than 94,000 people had been displaced due to Pakistan’s cross border violence against Afghan civilians.
Harish further accused Pakistan of having a history of violence and repression, referring to the events of 1971 during Bangladesh’s liberation war.
“Such heinous acts of aggression by Pakistan should not come as a surprise from a country that bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide,” he said.
Referring to Operation Searchlight during the Bangladesh freedom struggle, Harish alleged that Pakistan’s army carried out widespread atrocities, including mass rape and violence against civilians.
He said Pakistan had repeatedly attempted to “externalise internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence both within and beyond its borders”.
The UNAMA report covering the first quarter of 2026 recorded several Pakistani attacks across Afghanistan and stated that women and children were among the victims. According to the report, 72 women, 48 girls and 95 boys were affected in the attacks.
The report also reiterated that international humanitarian law prohibits attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, and grants special protection to medical personnel and healthcare institutions.
