The recent escalation of border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan has left the ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey between the two countries in disarray. Islamabad claims to have killed more than 130 Taliban, while Afghanistan reportedly reported no casualties in strikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
The airstrikes followed a cross-border Afghan attack, a move the country said was in “retaliation” for deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas over the weekend.
Amid renewed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where does India stand? Although there has been no official reaction from the Indian authorities to the recent escalation so far, New Delhi has previously supported Afghanistan’s sovereignty in its conflict with Pakistan.
“Sponsors terrorism and blames the neighbors”
A major escalation in border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan was seen in October 2025, a development that coincided with the visit of Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki to India. At the time, India supported Afghanistan, criticized Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism and then blamed its neighbors.
“Three things are clear – one, that Pakistan hosts terrorist organizations and sponsors terrorist activities. Two, blaming its neighbors for its internal failures is a long-standing practice of Pakistan, and three, Pakistan is angry about Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its territory,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, clarifying that India stands behind Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
India also condemned the killing of Afghan civilians in clashes last year, and New Delhi presented a similar position on Sunday, February 22, when Kabul claimed that Islamabad targeted civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces in eastern Afghanistan, leading to the killing of at least 18 people.
“India strongly condemns Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan soil that resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan. It is another attempt by Pakistan to justify its internal failures,” Jaiswal said when asked about the strikes.
When India denied Pak’s “baseless” accusations.
When the major escalation between Pakistan and Afghanistan coincided with Mottaki’s visit to India in October last year, Islamabad claimed that “Indian agents” were operating from Afghan territory to target Pakistan. However, India denied these accusations, describing them as “baseless.”
The Pakistani accusations came at a time when the Taliban was escalating its diplomatic engagement with India, when Mottaki met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the first high-level contact between India and the Taliban since the regime took power in 2021.
What is happening between Pakistan and Afghanistan?
New tensions emerged between the two border countries, against the backdrop of “retaliatory” attacks launched by Afghanistan on Pakistan in response to its attacks over the weekend, which were followed by Islamabad targeting the Afghan army in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
“Our patience has now run out. It is now an open war between us,” Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said in a post on Channel X, accusing Afghanistan of exporting terrorism.
Pakistan said last week that its military operation had killed at least 70 militants, while Afghanistan claimed that the strikes had hit civilian areas. Days later, Afghanistan carried out a retaliatory cross-border attack on Pakistan, leading to escalation of tensions. Hours later, Islamabad launched air strikes on Kabul, claiming that more than 130 Taliban fighters had been killed.
The attack cast doubt on the ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey last year.
