India Rebuts Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s UNGA Remarks on Terrorism and Kashmir
India strongly countered Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), accusing him of once again glorifying terrorism and distorting facts. Exercising India’s right of reply on Friday (local time), Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, issued a sharp rebuttal against Sharif’s remarks.
During the General Debate of the 80th UNGA session, Sharif referred to “Operation Sindoor” and claimed that seven Indian jets were damaged during the four-day conflict in May. However, India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh had clarified earlier that Indian forces shot down five Pakistani fighter aircraft along with a large military plane during the operation.
Petal Gahlot reminded the assembly of Pakistan’s record of shielding terror outfits. She highlighted how, on April 25, 2025, at the UN Security Council, Pakistan blocked accountability for The Resistance Front—a Pakistan-backed terrorist group responsible for the brutal killing of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir. She further stressed that India’s counter-terror operation launched on May 7 was in direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
Calling out Islamabad’s duplicity, Gahlot said, “A country long steeped in the tradition of deploying and exporting terrorism has no shame in advancing the most ludicrous narratives to that end. It sheltered Osama bin Laden for a decade while pretending to fight terrorism, and its own ministers have admitted to running terrorist camps for decades. It comes as no surprise that this duplicity continues, this time from its Prime Minister.”
Despite Sharif’s claims that Pakistan condemns terrorism, he accused India of “externally sponsoring” militancy through groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Balochistan Liberation Army. However, India has consistently maintained that Pakistan uses such narratives to deflect attention from its own role in supporting cross-border terrorism.
In his speech, the Pakistani leader also praised former US President Donald Trump, claiming his peace efforts helped prevent escalation in South Asia. India, however, reiterated that the understanding on cessation of hostilities was reached independently through direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan, without any third-party mediation.
Sharif further raised concerns over India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam terror attack, labeling any violation of the agreement as an “act of war.” As in previous years, he once again brought up the Kashmir issue, calling for a UN-led plebiscite and asserting that Pakistan “stands with the people of Kashmir.”
India has firmly rejected these repeated references, emphasizing that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that Pakistan has no locus standi on the matter. New Delhi has repeatedly urged the international community to hold Islamabad accountable for exporting terrorism while attempting to project itself as a victim.
The sharp exchange at the UNGA underscores the continuing tensions between India and Pakistan, with terrorism and Kashmir remaining the central flashpoints in their diplomatic standoff.
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