India on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Pakistan at the UN Security Council, accusing it of carrying out strikes in Afghanistan that killed civilians and violated international law, while rejecting Islamabad’s allegations against New Delhi and reaffirming its commitment to supporting the Afghan people.
Responding to remarks made earlier by Pakistan during a UNSC meeting on Afghanistan, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said Islamabad’s military actions had inflicted suffering on Afghan civilians and undermined regional peace and stability.
“Dressing up a massacre as a military operation does not absolve the perpetrator. Killing, maiming and orphaning civilians is not counter-terrorism,” he said.
Citing reports of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Parvathaneni said civilian casualties resulting from airstrikes, cross-border firing and targeted killings remained a matter of serious concern.
Hundreds of civilians had been killed or injured during the first quarter of the year, including during the holy month of Ramadan, he noted.
The Indian envoy also dismissed Pakistan’s allegations against India, accusing Islamabad of attempting to deflect attention from its own shortcomings.
“Blaming neighbours for its own failures is an old Pakistani habit. This attempt to hoodwink the world will fail,” he said.
Highlighting India’s enduring partnership with Afghanistan, Parvathaneni said New Delhi remained committed to assisting the Afghan people through humanitarian aid, healthcare, education and development projects spread across all 34 provinces.
He said India had supplied three tonnes of specialised flood-relief material in April and recently delivered 33 tonnes of vaccines and related medical supplies for Afghanistan’s child immunisation programme.
India is also facilitating treatment for Afghan children suffering from congenital heart disease, supporting maternity clinics in rural provinces and upgrading healthcare facilities in Kabul and other regions.
Since August 2021, India has provided more than 50,000 tonnes of wheat, 420 tonnes of medicines and vaccines and 40,000 litres of pesticides to Afghanistan, besides extending assistance after earthquakes and supporting rehabilitation programmes for drug addicts in partnership with international agencies.
In the education sector, around 3,000 Afghan students, including nearly 1,000 women, have benefited from Indian scholarship and fellowship programmes since 2023. Another 1,000 scholarships are expected to be announced shortly, he said.
Parvathaneni also announced that India would host the Afghanistan cricket team for a bilateral series, describing sports as a source of hope and encouragement for the Afghan people.
On economic ties, he said India remained the largest destination for Afghan exports, accounting for 43 per cent of the country’s overseas shipments. Accusing Pakistan of obstructing Afghan trade by denying transit access, he termed the restrictions “trade and transit terrorism” that adversely affected the economic prospects of the landlocked country.
Calling for a pragmatic international approach towards Afghanistan, the envoy urged the global community to engage all stakeholders and reassess existing policy tools, including sanctions, to ensure that they benefit ordinary Afghans and foster positive outcomes.
Reiterating India’s uncompromising stand against terrorism, he called for coordinated international efforts to counter terror groups operating in and around Afghanistan and reaffirmed New Delhi’s support for the mandate of UNAMA.