India slams Pakistan at UNSC over civilian deaths in Afghanistan airstrikes

India has sharply criticized Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over civilian deaths caused by recent airstrikes in Afghanistan, accusing Islamabad of violating international law and Afghan sovereignty.

Speaking at a Annual UNSC Open Debate on “Protection of civilians in armed conflict”, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said it was “hypocritical” for Pakistan to speak about international law and Islamic solidarity while carrying out airstrikes during Ramadan that reportedly killed civilians, including women and children.

“It is ironic that Pakistan, with its long-tainted record of genocidal acts, has chosen to refer to issues that are strictly internal to India. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported that in the first three months of 2026, 750 civilian deaths and injuries were documented in Afghanistan as a result of cross-border armed violence perpetrated by Pakistani military forces, most of which occurred due to air strikes,” he said.

Parvathaneni then said that Pakistan was behind the airstrike on Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, which killed 269 people, all civilians.

“The UNAMA documentation attributed 94 of 95 incidents of civilian casualties to Pakistani Security forces. The world has not forgotten that it was during the holy month of Ramadan in March this year, at a time of peace, reflection, and mercy, that Pakistan conducted a barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul. Again, according to UNAMA, this cowardly and unconscionable act of violence claimed the lives of 269 civilians and injured a further 122 in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target,” he said.

The Indian envoy further condemned Pakistan for “ignoring” international calls to protect civilians.

“It is hypocritical to espouse high principles of international law while targeting innocent civilians in the dark. The air strikes by Pakistan occurred at the conclusion of tarawih evening prayers, when numerous patients were leaving the masjid, as per UNAMA,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s strikes on Afghanistan earlier this year.

Parvathaneni then stated that such “heinous acts of aggression” by Pakistan should not come as a surprise, as it was a country that “bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide.”