India delivered a sharply worded denunciation of Pakistan’s recent airstrikes in Afghanistan during a United Nations Security Council briefing, warning that the attacks — which killed women, children, and even local cricketers — represent a grave violation of international law and pose a direct threat to an already fragile regional environment. The criticism came as violent clashes between Taliban fighters and Pakistani forces reignited earlier this week, less than two months after a ceasefire was negotiated to stop intense cross-border fighting along the disputed frontier.
Addressing the Council, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, said New Delhi was “gravely concerned” by what he described as Pakistan’s pattern of “trade and transit terrorism” — a reference to Islamabad repeatedly shutting border crossings and blocking essential trade routes for landlocked Afghanistan. He argued that such actions inflicted additional suffering on a population already grappling with humanitarian and economic crises.
Harish stressed that Pakistan’s conduct violates multiple international norms, including the UN Charter and WTO principles governing fair access for landlocked developing countries. He warned that attacks on Afghan territory and deliberate economic coercion amounted to “open threats and acts of war” against a nation struggling to recover after decades of conflict. India, he said, fully supported Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence.
The renewed border fighting began in early October when Pakistan launched an airstrike on Kabul. Afghanistan retaliated, triggering the deadliest escalation since the Taliban regained control in 2021. The violence continued even during Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s diplomatic visit to India. Qatar and Turkey later brokered a temporary ceasefire on October 19, but the recent skirmishes have shattered that fragile calm. Taliban officials maintain that Pakistan initiated the latest assaults, forcing Kabul to respond.
In his remarks, Harish underscored that India is closely monitoring the evolving security situation and reiterated the urgent need for coordinated global action to prevent UN-designated terrorist organisations — such as ISIL, Al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and affiliates like The Resistance Front — from exploiting border instability.
He also urged the international community to engage Afghanistan with pragmatic, incentive-based strategies rather than relying solely on punitive actions, arguing that sustained engagement would yield more meaningful results for Afghan civilians.
