India on Monday strongly condemned Pakistan’s air strikes on Afghan territory that resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, calling
the move a "blatant act of aggression". The strikes were an assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and posed a direct threat to regional peace and stability, the MEA said. It also accused Pakistan of following a persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and attempting to externalise its internal failures through cross-border violence. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said, "India strongly condemns Pakistan’s air-strikes on Afghan territory that have resulted in several civilian casualties, including women and children. This blatant act of aggression by Pakistan is an assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability." "It reflects Pakistan's persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its futile attempt to externalize internal failures through desperate acts of violence beyond its borders," the statement read. "India conveys its condolences to Afghan families that have lost loved ones, prays for early recovery of those injured and reiterates its unwavering support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," it added. Pakistan on Monday said its security forces killed 29 people in a ground operation near the Afghan border and subsequent cross-border strikes. "A well-planned intelligence-based ground operation was carried out by security forces along the Pakistan-Afghan border, followed by calibrated strikes in the border region against the hideouts and safe havens of terrorists belonging to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna-al-Khwarij, killing twenty-nine Khwarij," Information Minister Atta Tarar said. Following this, Islamabad and Kabul summoned each other's charge d'affaires to lodge diplomatic protests over the latest escalation. Pakistan summoned Afghanistan's charge d'affaires in Islamabad over the recent attack on a Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi, alleging Afghan nationals and their territory were used to facilitate the assault. "Fitna-al-Khwarij" is the term officially used by Pakistan to refer to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied militant groups. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is affiliated with the TTP.
