At the United Nations, India criticized Pakistan’s decision to respond to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remarks on terrorism—even though those comments never explicitly named Pakistan. India’s diplomatic mission argued that such a response is tantamount to acknowledging a long-standing pattern of cross-border terror support.
Speaking in a Right of Reply, India’s representative said that “a neighbour who was not named chose to respond nonetheless,” framing Islamabad’s reaction as an admission of “its longstanding practice of cross-border terrorism.” The statement noted that Pakistan’s reputation is already widely known for ties to terror across various regions, and accused it of attempting to deflect criticism.
In its counter-response, Pakistan accused India of trying to malign Islamabad through “malicious accusations,” claiming those statements were based on deliberate falsehoods. The Pakistani delegate argued that India was unfairly repeating claims without substantiation.
Jaishankar, in his original UN address, had referred to a “neighbour that is an epicenter of global terrorism” and stated that major international terror attacks over the years can be traced back to that country. He urged the global community to denounce states that treat terrorism as policy, maintain terror networks at industrial scale, and glorify perpetrators. He underscored the need to choke terrorist funding, impose sanctions, and apply relentless pressure on the entire terror ecosystem.
India also highlighted that the UN’s list of designated terrorists already includes numerous nationals from that country, reinforcing its claim of systemic involvement. In closing, India walked out of the hall as the Pakistani delegate continued to speak, signaling strong disapproval of how the reply was being handled.
