New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to media queries regarding Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghanistan, said on February 23, Sunday that India strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory, which resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children. The spokesperson in an official statement said, “India strongly condemns Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory that have resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan”.
Jaiswal further said that it was another attempt by Pakistan to “externalise its internal failures”. The statement said,”It is another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures”. Emphasising the reiteration of support of India towards Afghanistan’s sovereignty, Jaiswal said,”India reiterates its support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence”.
Our response to media queries about Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghanistan ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/gUXTbNQjVg pic.twitter.com/A6W4wxXBpV
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) February 22, 2026
Earlier on February 23, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan(IEA) summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul in response to what it described as Pakistani “army attacks” on Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika. In a post on X, the Ministry said the envoy was called in following strikes that it alleged resulted in “dozens” of casualties.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the IEA summoned the Pakistani Ambassador in Kabul”, the statement said. “In response to the Pakistani army’s attacks on Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, in which dozens of fellow countrymen were martyred and wounded, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the IEA summoned the Pakistani Ambassador in Kabul”.
Moreover, the International Human Rights Foundation (IHRF) raised an urgent alarm over verified reports of a devastating airstrike in the Behsud District of Afghanistan. In a post on the social media platform X, the foundation stated that a Pakistani military strike targeted a civilian home, resulting in the ”massacre of at least 16 members of a single family”.
According to confirmed local sources cited by the IHRF, the victims, including men, women and children, ranged in age from a one-year-old infant to an 80-year-old elder. The foundation noted that this attack represents ”not just a loss of life, but the complete annihilation of a family lineage”. While 16 family members were killed, two children miraculously survived the strike and at least one other individual, identified as 20-year-old Riyazullah, was injured. The deceased included 80-year-old Shahabuddin, 30-year-old Sharakat and 40-year-old Muhmanda, alongside several other adults and multiple minors.
The IHRF emphasised the humanity of those lost, stating, ”They are not numbers; they are human beings”.
The strike in Behsud appears to be part of a broader military campaign, as Tolo News reported that Pakistani jets conducted multiple airstrikes across the Khogyani district of Nangarhar and targeted a religious seminary in the Bermal district of Paktika province.
Pakistan has reportedly conducted multiple strikes in Bermal and Argun in Paktika, as well as in Khogyani, Behsud and Ghani Khel districts in Nangarhar since February 21, Saturday, under the veil of counter-terrorism operations.
(With Inputs from ANI)
