New York: India delivered a sharp response to Pakistan at the United Nations on Saturday, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar warning that attempts to normalise terrorism or escape accountability for it would not succeed.
Speaking at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Jaishankar accused Pakistan without naming it directly of misrepresenting facts before the world body. Referring to it as a “serial practitioner of terrorism”, he said India would continue to exercise its right to defend itself against terrorism.
“Friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism,” Jaishankar said, adding that any understanding based on such circumstances would naturally come under question. He also reiterated India’s zero tolerance approach to terrorism, including action against its financing.
The remarks came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the General Assembly and spoke about the 2025 India-Pakistan military confrontation, Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty.
Sharif claimed Pakistan had exercised its “inherent right of self defence” under Article 51 of the UN Charter during the May 2025 conflict. He also credited US President Donald Trump with what he described as a timely intervention and warned that any attempt to stop or divert Pakistan’s share of Indus waters would be treated as an “act of war”.
India’s rebuttal was not limited to Jaishankar. Indian diplomat Petal Gahlot, responding to Pakistan’s remarks, challenged Islamabad’s references to democratic rights and human values and criticised the country’s military establishment.
Jaishankar also used his UN address to widen the focus beyond the India-Pakistan dispute. He called for restraint and de-escalation amid continuing conflicts, particularly in the Gulf, and condemned attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers. India, he said, wanted uninterrupted flows of energy, food and commerce and continued humanitarian assistance for Palestinians.
On Ukraine, Jaishankar said the conflict remained a major concern and backed efforts aimed at ending the war. He also highlighted India’s development partnerships, climate initiatives and contribution to UN peacekeeping.
The latest exchange at the UN marks another public diplomatic confrontation between New Delhi and Islamabad, with terrorism, Kashmir, the 2025 conflict and the Indus waters dispute remaining central points of disagreement.
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