Tel Aviv, Feb 27 (IANS) Pakistan is not targetting militants in Afghanistan but terrorising civilians and undermining Afghan sovereignty. This, a report mentioned, exposes the stark hypocrisy of Islamabad decrying its losses while bombing Afghan schools and homes at the same time.
The international community, including the United Nations and the European Union — must step in to ensure investigations and demand verifiable intelligence-sharing on Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan, a report highlighted this week.
On Friday, Taliban Deputy Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat stated that the Afghan Air Force conducted airstrikes against Pakistani military targets in Islamabad, Nowshera, Jamrud and Abbottabad.
Fitrat stated that these attacks were conducted in response to the airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia last night.
“The Air Force of the Ministry of National Defence carried out airstrikes on a military camp near Faizabad city in Islamabad, Pakistan, an army cantonment in Nowshera, Jamrud military colony, and Abbottabad today at around 11:00 am,” Fitrat shared on X.
“These airstrikes were carried out successfully, targetting important military positions, centres, and installations of the Pakistani army there. These attacks were carried out in response to the airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia last night,” he added.
Earlier this week, writing in the ‘Times of Israel’, Michael Arizanti, a writer and expert on Middle East Affairs, stated that the February 22 Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan reflect a shameful pattern — Pakistan masking aggression as “self-defence” and unleashing death on innocent Afghan civilians.
“Let’s be clear — this isn’t about targetting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). It’s a brazen assault on Afghan civilians, a violation of sovereignty that must end now. And in this geopolitical chess game, India’s principled stand shines as a beacon of regional integrity,” he stated.
The expert stated that during the holy month of Ramadan – a time meant for reflection and peace – Pakistani jets roar over Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika, striking what Islamabad described as “militant hideouts.” Pakistani officials stated that 70-80 terrorists were eliminated in “intelligence-based, selective” operations, but the proof behind those claims remains unclear.
“No independent verification has surfaced — none. Instead, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) paints a harrowing picture: at least 13 civilians slaughtered, seven more wounded, including women and children. The Afghan Red Crescent Society tallies 18 deaths in Nangarhar alone. Taliban officials and eyewitnesses push the grim count beyond 20, with bodies still trapped under rubble,” said Arizanti,
According to Arizanti, at the global level, Afghanistan has lodged a complaint with the UN Security Council, calling for investigations and an end to Pakistani strikes, while the Taliban vowed “measured” retaliation. The UNAMA, it said, called for the protection of civilians under international law, but refrained from issuing a direct condemnation.
Amid muted global response, he wrote, India stepped forward with moral clarity, noting that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) condemned the Pakistani strikes against Afghanistan as a “blatant violation,” causing civilian deaths in Ramadan, and accused Islamabad of “externalising internal failures.”
Writing in the ‘Times of Israel’, Arizanti stated that India’s stance is not opportunism, but a strategy grounded in principle. “Since the Taliban’s 2021 return, India has offered aid, tech, diplomacy — alarming Pakistan, which fears anti-Pak activities from Afghan soil. India’s condemnation isolates Islamabad, bolsters Kabul ties, and counters influence in Central Asia. In a nuclear-tinged rivalry, it’s a smart play for stability,” it mentioned.
–IANS
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