India on Tuesday described Pakistan's attack on a hospital in Kabul as a "heinous act of aggression" and urged the international community to hold the perpetrators of the criminal act accountable.

Afghanistan has claimed that over 400 people were killed in the air strike on the hospital but Pakistan has rejected the charge, maintaining that it had "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure" on Monday night.

The ministry of external affairs said India "unequivocally condemns Pakistan's barbaric airstrike" on the hospital in Kabul.

In a statement on the "cowardly targeting of a Kabul hospital", the ministry said: "This heinous act of aggression by Pakistan is also a blatant assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability. It reflects Pakistan’s persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its repeated attempts to externalise internal failures through increasingly desperate acts of violence beyond its borders."

Unequivocally condemning the air strike on the Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital in Kabul on the night of March 16, India said this was a cowardly and unconscionable act of violence which can by no means be justified as a military target. "Pakistan is now trying to dress up a massacre as a military operation."

Urging the international community to step in to ensure that the "wanton targeting" by Pakistan of civilians in Afghanistan ceases without delay, India further noted that it is all the more reprehensible that the attack was carried out during Ramzan. "There is no faith, no law, and no morality that can justify the deliberate targeting of a hospital and its patients.

"India extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families, wishes a swift recovery to those injured, and stands in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan in this tragic moment. We also reiterate our unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan."

The latest Pakistani strikes came as Operation Ghazab lil Haq, launched on February 26, continued, according to Pakistan's ministry of information and broadcasting.

Pakistan said it launched the military offensive in response to alleged attacks by the Afghan Taliban forces along the 2,600km border.