UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Act ‘barbaric’, direct threat to regional peace: India

Q1. With reference to India's responses to Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan, consider the following statements: 1. In January 2025, India had condemned Pakistan's strikes on Afghan civilians, attributing them to Pakistan's 'internal failures'. 2. The Ministry of External Affairs statement of 17 March 2026 used the descriptors 'barbaric' and 'direct threat to regional peace and stability'. 3. Unlike the 2025 strikes, the March 2026 strike was confined to remote border districts of Afghanistan and not to the capital. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. In January 2025, India had condemned Pakistan's strikes on Afghan civilians, attributing them to Pakistan's 'internal failures'.
2. The Ministry of External Affairs statement of 17 March 2026 used the descriptors 'barbaric' and 'direct threat to regional peace and stability'.
3. Unlike the 2025 strikes, the March 2026 strike was confined to remote border districts of Afghanistan and not to the capital.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Which one of the following facilities was the primary target of the Pakistani airstrike of March 2026 that India termed a 'barbaric' and 'direct threat to regional peace and stability'?

• A. Omid Addiction Treatment Hospital, Kabul
• B. Indira Gandhi Institute for Child Health, Kabul
• C. Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, Kabul
• D. Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Military Hospital, Kabul

Q3. With reference to the March 2026 Kabul hospital airstrike and India's response, consider the following statements: 1. The targeted Omid facility was a 2,000-bed drug addiction treatment hospital. 2. The hospital lay in Khost province along the Durand Line, not in the city of Kabul. 3. India's Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. 4. India officially accepted Pakistan's clarification that the strike had only targeted military sites. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

1. The targeted Omid facility was a 2,000-bed drug addiction treatment hospital.
2. The hospital lay in Khost province along the Durand Line, not in the city of Kabul.
3. India's Ministry of External Affairs reiterated its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.
4. India officially accepted Pakistan's clarification that the strike had only targeted military sites.

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 and 4
• C. 1, 2 and 4
• D. 3 only

Q4. The official Indian statement of 17 March 2026 terming the Pakistani airstrike on the Kabul hospital 'barbaric' and a 'blatant assault on Afghanistan's sovereignty' was issued by which one of the following?

• A. The Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs
• B. The Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
• C. The National Security Adviser
• D. The Minister of State for External Affairs

Q5. With reference to India's response in the immediate aftermath of the March 2026 Pakistani airstrike on the Kabul hospital, consider the following: 1. India unequivocally condemned the act as 'barbaric' and 'unconscionable'. 2. India dispatched a 2.5-tonne consignment of emergency medicines and medical supplies to Kabul. 3. India formally severed diplomatic relations with Pakistan in response. 4. India reaffirmed its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. India unequivocally condemned the act as 'barbaric' and 'unconscionable'.
2. India dispatched a 2.5-tonne consignment of emergency medicines and medical supplies to Kabul.
3. India formally severed diplomatic relations with Pakistan in response.
4. India reaffirmed its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 and 4
• C. 1, 2 and 4
• D. 3 only