United Nations: India has condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghanistan as a “flagrant violation” of international law, saying it is “hypocritical” to invoke Islamic solidarity while carrying out attacks that have killed civilians during Ramzan.
Addressing a Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan on Monday, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni reiterated New Delhi’s support for the UN Secretary-General’s call for compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law, and for ensuring the protection of civilians.
“India strongly condemns the airstrikes on Afghan territory, which are flagrant violations of international law and the UN Charter and the principle of state sovereignty.
The statement comes on a day when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention, paving the way for the Trump administration to impose restrictions such as sanctions and export controls as punishment for the Taliban’s arbitrary imprisonment of Americans.
“The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions. These despicable tactics need to end,” Rubio said in a statement announcing the decision.
‘Hypocritical to invoke principles of international law.’
Parvathaneni said it was “hypocritical” to invoke principles of international law and Islamic solidarity while carrying out strikes during the holy month of Ramadan that had resulted in large civilian casualties.
Parvathaneni cited figures from the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and said that at least 185 innocent civilians had been killed as of 6 March 2026, around 55 per cent of whom were women and children, while more than 100,000 people had been displaced.
Last month, Pakistan struck the Afghan capital, Kabul, the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based, and other towns. Pakistan’s defence minister declared an “open war” with the Taliban government in Afghanistan, in a major escalation between the neighbouring countries. The attacks were its first directly targeting Afghanistan’s government over allegations it harbours militants seeking to overthrow the Islamabad government. Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said last Friday that they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in major cities.
At the UNSC meeting, Parvathaneni also raised concerns about restrictions affecting Afghanistan’s trade and transit routes, warning that such actions worsen the vulnerabilities of landlocked developing countries.
“We reiterate our grave concern on the practice of trade and transit terrorism by denial of passage for trade and cynical closure of access for a landlocked country,” he said.
The UN envoy added that UN declarations on landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) “sound hollow” if such actions continue, arguing that the trade and transit vulnerabilities of LLDCs should not be weaponised. These actions violate World Trade Organization norms as well as provisions of the UN Charter and international law, he said.
India’s support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty
The Indian envoy also reiterated India’s support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We reaffirm our support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Afghanistan,” Parvathaneni said.
