Hundreds of Afghan civilians, many undergoing treatment, slaughtered. The world must confront Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism and moral duplicity

Pakistan’s army has once again crossed every conceivable limit of humanity. In a shocking and indefensible act, an airstrike targeted a major drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, transforming what should have been a place of healing and recovery into a scene of devastation and death. According to Afghan authorities, the strike hit the Omid/Ibn Sina rehabilitation hospital—one of the largest facilities of its kind—where thousands of vulnerable individuals were undergoing treatment. More than 400 people were killed and hundreds more injured, many of them defenseless patients battling addiction, not combatants on any battlefield. These were individuals seeking help, seeking a second chance at life, and they were mercilessly wiped out. This cannot be dismissed as a security operation; it is a brutal and deeply disturbing act that raises grave moral, legal, and humanitarian questions about the conduct and intent behind such actions.

What makes this tragedy even more appalling is its timing. This massacre took place during the holy month of Ramadan—a time Muslims across the world regard as sacred—and that too on the night of Shab-e-Qadr, one of the most spiritually significant nights in Islam. On a night meant for prayer, mercy, and forgiveness, hundreds of helpless individuals were slaughtered in cold blood. The sheer scale of this loss, combined with the sanctity of the moment, makes this not just a military strike but a profound moral and ethical failure. It stands in glaring contradiction to the religious narratives Pakistan’s leadership constantly invokes. Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, repeatedly calls the country an “Islamic state,” built on the pattern of Madina and the principles of the Kalima—but what kind of Islamic state kills innocents in Afghanistan? What kind of faith justifies slaughtering helpless civilians while claiming moral and religious authority? Pakistan sells the illusion of being an Islamic state, yet its actions reveal the brutal reality: a state that hides behind religion while systematically murdering innocents.

Decades of state-sponsored terror

This is not an isolated development. Pakistan’s policies over decades have systematically fueled instability across the region, from Afghanistan to India. In India, this pattern of state-enabled cross-border terrorism has been witnessed repeatedly—from the 2001 Parliament attack to the 2008 Mumbai attacks, from Uri to Pathankot, from Pulwama to Pahalgam, and other continuing incidents—where innocent lives have been deliberately targeted, yet accountability has consistently been evaded. The persistence of such attacks, combined with Pakistan’s continued patronage of non-state actors as instruments of state policy, exposes a deeply entrenched and dangerous security doctrine that has destabilized both India and Afghanistan—from Kabul to New Delhi. This is not ambiguity; this is a pattern that demands global recognition. It is time for India and the international community to call this out unequivocally, to expose Pakistan’s role on every international platform, in every major capital, and across every diplomatic channel, and to ensure that such actions are neither ignored nor normalized. The reliance on proxy warfare, the obsession with so-called strategic depth, and the persistent attempt to interfere in the sovereignty of its neighbors have created cycles of violence that continue to claim innocent lives.

The real problem is Pakistan’s inability to accept Afghanistan’s independence. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, Kabul refused to bow to Islamabad’s expectations. Pakistan, long accustomed to treating Afghanistan as a pliable province, expected the Taliban regime to limit ties with India and align with Pakistan’s strategic vision. Kabul, however, has charted an independent course, strengthening its relations with New Delhi and asserting its sovereignty. This has caused intense frustration within Rawalpindi and the GHQ, now reflected in coercive and reckless actions that threaten to destabilize the entire region.

What is even more troubling is how sections within Pakistan attempt to justify such aggression. In a recent incident targeting Shia populations in Pakistan, the perpetrators were Pakistani, yet a narrative was spun claiming Afghan involvement because one of them had traveled to Afghanistan a year earlier. Such arguments collapse under scrutiny. Independent reporting shows that attacks are frequently carried out by extremist groups operating within Pakistan itself, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State affiliates. A prior visit to Afghanistan does not establish responsibility, nor does it justify cross-border retaliation. Long-standing sectarian violence within Pakistan further underscores that these are internal failures. Yet Islamabad continues to externalize its internal crises, blaming Afghanistan for the very forces it once nurtured and enabled.

More importantly, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is not an Afghan creation—it is, by definition and origin, a Pakistani entity. Its very name reflects this reality. The group existed and was actively carrying out attacks within Pakistan long before the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. To now shift the blame onto Afghanistan is not only misleading but a deliberate attempt to deflect from internal failures. This is not about external threats; this is about the long-term consequences of policies that have nurtured terrorism within Pakistan’s own borders. Instead of confronting this reality, Pakistan continues to externalize its internal crisis, using Afghanistan as a convenient scapegoat while avoiding accountability for the very forces it once enabled.

At the same time, reactions on Pakistani social media reflect a deeply troubling reality. Most Pakistanis appear to justify the killings of Afghan civilians, frequently downplaying or rationalizing the civilian casualties. What is most alarming is not just the silence, but the normalization—where the killing of Afghan civilians is rationalized, defended, and in some cases even celebrated. This reflects a dangerous and deeply entrenched mindset shaped by years of hostility and dehumanization.

Selective outrage and the urgent need to expose Pakistan’s brutality

Equally concerning is the silence that follows such incidents within sections of the Muslim world. When violence occurs in places like Palestine or Iran, it often generates widespread outrage, protests, and emotional mobilization across many Muslim societies. Yet when hundreds of innocent Afghans were killed, including vulnerable individuals in rehabilitation care, the response from many of these same quarters is noticeably muted. This inconsistency raises a difficult but necessary question: are some Muslim lives being treated as more politically significant than others?

If injustice is to be opposed on moral and religious grounds, then that principle must apply equally, regardless of geography or the identity of the perpetrator. When violence against fellow Muslims in countries like Afghanistan or Yemen fails to evoke similar responses, it creates a perception of selective morality that undermines the credibility of that outrage.

India has responded with strong condemnation. The Ministry of External Affairs described the attack as a “barbaric” act and a massacre disguised as a military operation, emphasizing that targeting a civilian medical facility constitutes a clear violation of humanitarian norms. It also warned that such actions undermine regional stability and reflect an attempt to externalize internal failures. These remarks reinforce India’s long-standing position on the dangers posed by state-sponsored terrorism and coercive military behavior.

Voices from Afghanistan have captured this anguish. Afghan cricketer Rahmanullah Gurbaz questioned the silence of the world, stating: “A hospital bombed in Afghanistan during Ramadan by Pakistan… Where is international law now? Where is humanity now? How many innocent lives must be lost before the world speaks?” His words reflect the pain, anger, and frustration of a people who feel abandoned in the face of such brutality.

The broader geopolitical context also raises important questions. The overlap between regional tensions involving Iran and the intensified Pakistani military aggression against Afghanistan at the same time suggests that these developments may not be entirely coincidental. Pakistan’s historical role as a strategic tool in larger geopolitical games cannot be ignored. Whether by design or circumstance, its actions continue to align with broader power dynamics in ways that demand closer scrutiny.

The strike on a rehabilitation center in Kabul must serve as a turning point. It is not just about one attack—it is about a pattern, a mindset, and a policy that has repeatedly chosen violence over responsibility. If there is to be any credibility in global moral discourse, then such actions must be called out clearly and consistently.

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Source: Weekly Blitz :: Writings