Pakistan-Afghanistan War: What Is India’s Stand? How Did China, Russia, Turkey, Saudi React? Explained

Last Updated:February 27, 2026, 19:15 IST

Pakistan-Afghanistan War: While India has not yet issued an official statement on the latest flare-up, New Delhi had on Sunday condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory

Pakistan’s defence minister early Friday said that his country had run out of “patience" and now considers itself in an “open war" with neighbouring Afghanistan after both sides launched strikes following what Islamabad described as an Afghan cross-border attack.

What is India’s stand? What have other countries said? News18 explains

WHAT IS INDIA’S STANCE?

Pakistan launched a retaliatory operation late Thursday night in response to the alleged border attacks by the Afghan Taliban. Islamabad claimed that 133 Taliban fighters were killed in Operation Ghazab lil Haq. The 2,611-km-long border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is known as the Durand Line, which Kabul has not formally recognised.

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While India has not yet issued an official statement on the latest flare-up, New Delhi had on Sunday condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory, saying the strikes had resulted in civilian casualties including women and children during the holy month of Ramadan.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Sunday said the attacks were “another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures" and reiterated India’s support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

“India strongly condemns Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory that have resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan. It is another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures. India reiterates its support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence," the statement released by the ministry said.

The reaction comes after Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan in the early hours of Sunday, targeting multiple locations along the Durand Line, with fighter jets hitting suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts, CNN-News18 had learnt.

In October, India had reaffirmed its support to Afghanistan amid the country’s escalating border tensions with Pakistan, saying it stands with its sovereignty. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) had come down heavily on Pakistan over cross-border terrorism and said Islamabad thinks it can get away with impunity

A major escalation in October 2025 had coincided with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India.

“Pakistan thinks they can keep doing cross-border terrorism without being punished. We are committed to the sovereignty of Afghanistan," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said then.

Jaiswal had said India remained “fully committed" to the “sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence" of Afghanistan. “I reiterate what I had said in my last briefing. Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories and seems to think that it has the right to practice cross-border terrorism with impunity. Its neighbours find it unacceptable. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan," he said.

TURKEY AND SAUDI ARABIA

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held telephone conversations with his Turkish and Saudi counterparts to exchange views on the current situation.

During talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Dar “underscored that Pakistan responded befittingly to unprovoked Afghan aggression," said the Foreign Office. “Both leaders emphasised the importance of peace and stability in the region and agreed to stay closely engaged on evolving developments," the FO said.

Dar discussed with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan the recent regional developments, including the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, it said.

The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the region and agreed to stay closely engaged, it added.

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia last year signed a joint defence agreement, pledging to come to the aid of each other in case of attacks by a third country.

CHINA AND RUSSIA

China and Russia also expressed concern over the escalation and called on both sides to resolve their differences through diplomatic means.

China, which maintains close ties with Pakistan and Afghanistan through a tripartite mechanism, called on both sides to exercise calm and restraint, properly resolve their differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation, and realise a ceasefire as soon as possible to avoid more suffering.

Amid an escalation of armed clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Russia on Friday urged both countries to end the conflict and resolve their differences through diplomatic means. The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the “sharp escalation" of armed clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, “involving regular army units, air force, and heavy weapons".

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“There are casualties on both sides, including civilians. We call on our friendly countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, to abandon this dangerous confrontation and return to the negotiating table to resolve all differences through political and diplomatic means," foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

Kremlin’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, also urged Islamabad and Kabul to halt the hostilities.

“We are in favour of a swift end to mutual attacks and a diplomatic resolution of differences," Kabulov was quoted as saying by state-run news agency RIA Novosti.

IRAN

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their differences through dialogue and good neighbourliness, offering Tehran’s support to facilitate talks between the two countries.

In a post on X, he said the ongoing holy month of Ramadan with its focus on spiritual reflection, provided an opportunity to ease tensions and “promote unity across the Islamic world".

He said, “It is fitting, on the occasion of the blessed month of Ramadan–which is a month for self-discipline and the promotion of unity in the Islamic world–that Afghanistan and Pakistan resolve their differences through good neighborliness and dialogue."

With Agency Inputs

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