India’s Ministry of External Affairs formally condemned Pakistan’s conduct of airstrikes in Afghanistan on March 14, 2026, characterising the strikes as an “act of aggression” and a violation of Afghan sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a statement by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reported by Times of India.
Pakistan’s strikes targeted areas in Kabul, Kandahar, and eastern provinces of Afghanistan. The Afghan Taliban government reported that the attacks resulted in civilian casualties and the destruction of infrastructure, including fuel depots near Kandahar airport, according to the research documents. Afghan authorities subsequently launched retaliatory strikes against military installations near Islamabad. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan expressed grave concern over the escalation, stating that cross-border fire between February 26 and March 5, 2026 resulted in 185 civilian casualties, according to a UN daily press briefing cited in the research documents.
Jaiswal stated that New Delhi’s position holds the Pakistani establishment as hostile to a sovereign Afghanistan, reiterating India’s consistent policy of supporting Afghan sovereignty and opposing external interference in the country’s internal affairs. MEA has not indicated any mediation initiative at this stage.
The humanitarian consequences of the broader regional conflict — encompassing Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Afghanistan — are substantial. Approximately 4.1 million people have been displaced across these areas since the beginning of the recent escalation in West Asia, with approximately 115,000 internally displaced within Afghanistan alone, according to the UN press briefing cited in the research documents. These figures are attributed to UNAMA reporting and have not been independently verified against primary UNAMA field documentation for this article.
