India news: New Delhi sends medical aid to Afghanistan

• India has sent emergency medical aid to Afghanistan, after a Pakistani airstrike hit a Kabul hospital
• Millions of Muslims in India are celebrating Eid al-Fitr
• Early morning prayers have been offered in mosques across the country
• New Delhi sees its coldest March day in six years

Here's the latest news and analysis from India on Saturday, March 21:

03/21/2026March 21, 2026

India sends emergency medical aid to Afghanistan

India has sent a package containing 2.5 tons of emergency medicine, medical disposables and other medical equipment to Kabul to help in the treatment of the people who were injured in a deadly Pakistani airstrike in the capital city earlier this week.

"India stands in solidarity with the Afghan people and will continue to extend all possible humanitarian support in this difficult hour," Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement on social media platform X.

On March 16, the Afghan Taliban officials accused Pakistan of carrying out an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital, killing at least 400 people.

Pakistan denied targeting civilian infrastructure, saying that its "precision airstrikes" were aimed at "military installations and terrorist support infrastructure" in Kabul and the eastern Nangarhar province.

India had earlier condemned the strike, deeming it "yet another act of aggression by a Pakistani establishment that remains hostile to the idea of a sovereign Afghanistan".

Pakistan declared an "open war" with Afghanistan in February. Clashes between the two sides intensified with cross-border fire and airstrikes striking deep in the Afghan territory, including Kabul.

A pause on strikes is currently being observed by Pakistan and the Taliban government in Afghanistan on account of Eid al-Fitr. The halt in fighting is scheduled to last until midnight on Monday.

In recent years, India has recalibrated its Afghanistan policy marked by a thaw in its relations with the Taliban regime. The shift also comes amid the souring ties between the Afghan Taliban and India's arch rival Pakistan.

India does not recognize the Taliban government, but restored the status of its technical mission in Kabul to that of an embassy last year.

India has also been the largest regional provider of humanitarian and reconstruction aid to Kabul in the pre-Taliban years.

03/21/2026March 21, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Good morning! This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW's studio in New Delhi, bringing you your daily wrap of news from India.

A winter chill seems to have made a comeback this Saturday morning, as the Indian capital recorded its coldest March day in six years after unseasonal rains.

Eid al-Fitr celebrations have begun in India, as millions of Muslims gathered to offer early morning prayers in mosques across the country. The state of Kerala observed the festival a day early on Friday, following a rare calendar split.

In diplomatic news, India has sent a consignment containing 2.5 tons of medical supplies to Afghanistan for the treatment of people injured in a deadly Pakistan airstrike on a rehabilitation hospital in Kabul.

Stay tuned to find out what India is talking about this Saturday.