Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, Permanent Representative of India to the UN, on Thursday slammed Pakistan, saying the country has a long record of involvement in genocidal acts against civilians, as 750 civilian deaths and injuries were documented in Afghanistan as a result of cross-border armed violence perpetrated by Pakistan.
Parvathaneni, while speaking at the Annual UNSC Open Debate on “Protection of civilians in armed conflict”, said that the UNAMA documentation attributed 94 of 95 incidents of civilian causalities to Pakistani Security forces.
“It is ironic that Pakistan, with its long-tainted record of genocidal acts, has chosen to refer to issues that are strictly internal to India. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has reported that in the first three months of 2026, 750 civilian deaths and injuries were documented in Afghanistan as a result of cross border armed violence perpetrated by Pakistani military forces, most of which occurred due to air strikes,” he said.
Parvathaneni says Pakistan conducted airstrike in Kabul, killing 269 civilians
Parvathaneni said that Pakistan conducted a barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul, killing 269 civilians.
“The UNAMA documentation attributed 94 of 95 incidents of civilian causalities to Pakistani Security forces. The world has not forgotten that it was during the holy month of Ramadan in March this year, at a time of peace, reflection, and mercy, that Pakistan conducted a barbaric airstrike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul. Again, according to UNAMA, this cowardly and unconscionable act of violence claimed the lives of 269 civilians and injured a further 122 in a facility which can by no means be justified as a military target,” he said.
India accuses Pakistan of ignoring international calls to protect civiliansÂ
The Indian envoy further accused Pakistan of ignoring international calls to protect civilians and uphold humanitarian obligations.”It is hypocritical to espouse high principles of international law while targeting innocent civilians in the dark. The air strikes by Pakistan occurred at the conclusion of tarawih evening prayers, when numerous patients were leaving the masjid, as per UNAMA,” he said.
“It bears emphasis that the UN Secretary General called on member states to uphold their international obligations in relation to protection of civilians, including the principle of non-refoulement in the context of Afghanistan. Clearly, Pakistan has chosen to ignore this call completely,” he added.
At the same time, India also raised the issue of cross-border terrorism and said states supporting terrorism must be held accountable. “As per UNAMA, over 94,000 people were assessed as displaced due to cross border armed violence perpetrated against Afghan civilians. But, such heinous acts of aggression by Pakistan should not come as a surprise from a country that bombs its own people and conducts systematic genocide,” he said.
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