India has dispatched a 2.5-ton consignment of emergency medicines, medical disposables and other equipment to Kabul to help treat victims of a recent airstrike on a rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital. The shipment is intended to support medical care for those injured in the attack earlier this week.
Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on social media platform X that India stands in solidarity with the Afghan people and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance during this difficult time.
On March 16, Afghan Taliban officials said a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in Kabul killed at least 400 people. Pakistani authorities rejected claims they targeted civilian facilities, saying their precision strikes were directed at military sites and terrorist support infrastructure in Kabul and in eastern Nangarhar province.
India publicly condemned the strike, describing it as another act of aggression by elements in Pakistan hostile to the idea of a sovereign Afghanistan. Cross-border clashes and airstrikes between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated since Pakistan declared an open war with Afghanistan in February. Pakistan and the Taliban government have observed a temporary pause in strikes for Eid al-Fitr, lasting until midnight on Monday.
In recent years New Delhi has adjusted its Afghanistan policy, including a partial thaw in relations with the Taliban authorities. India does not formally recognize the Taliban government, but last year upgraded its technical mission in Kabul back to embassy status. Before the Taliban takeover, India was the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Afghanistan. The latest medical shipment highlights New Delhi’s continuing role in offering humanitarian support to Kabul despite the region’s complex diplomatic and security situation.