Afghanistan cricketer reaches out to India for help after Pakistan’s airstrike

The airstrike of Pakistan on Kabul has thus far killed close to 400 people.

On late Monday night, at least 400 people were reportedly killed, and around 250 were injured after what Afghan authorities described as a Pakistani airstrike hit a major drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul. However, Islamabad denied targeting civilians, stating the operation was aimed at militant infrastructure. Afghanistan cricketer Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, who was bought by the Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2026 for ₹4.18 crore, recently condemned these attacks.

Afghanistan cricketer Allah Mohammad Ghazankar appeals to India.

In an emotional appeal to India and condemning the recent airstrikes by Pakistan on Kabul, the Afghan cricketer said, “The people there don’t have money for treatment. And now, they’ve targeted that place as well; they’ve martyred those people. This is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan. I don’t know what they’re trying to prove. They come and target ordinary people, and we simply cannot accept this. Afghanistan cannot accept this. Everyone knows Afghanistan’s history. If that history repeats itself, it will be very bad for Pakistan.” Calling for international intervention, including from India, he said, “India is our close friend. We want to engage with them, to talk about these issues, so that things like this don’t happen. This is our request to other countries, too. This is not good for the people. Right now, the world is going through many challenges, and this is not good for anyone.”

Islamabad said it was a “precision operation” targeting militant bases.

Islamabad denied targeting civilians and said it was a “precision operation” targeting militant bases linked to attacks on its soil. Authorities in Kabul said the strike hit a large rehabilitation facility around 9 pm local time, destroying the 2000-bed complex. Massive fires broke out, with rescue workers scrambling through debris in search of survivors. The incident underscores rapidly deteriorating relations between Pakistan and the Taliban administration, with both sides trading accusations over cross-border security threats.

Many other Afghan cricketers have also echoed similar sentiments. Rashid Khan said he was “deeply saddened” by reports of civilian casualties, adding that targeting civilian infrastructure “amounts to a war crime.” Mohammad Nabi, a veteran all-rounder, also reacted, posting on X that the attack had “extinguished hope” at a medical facility, describing the loss as devastating.