India's Jaishankar slams Pakistan as 'serial practitioner of terrorism' at UN

At the 81st UN General Assembly, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and diplomat Petal Gahlot strongly condemned Pakistan, labeling it a "serial practitioner of terrorism." The rebuke followed an address by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who raised the Kashmir issue and credited U.S. President Donald Trump with defusing a May 2025 military confrontation. India rejected claims of third-party mediation, asserted its right to self-defense, and characterized Sharif's administration as a puppet regime controlled by the military.

Jaishankar's address at the UNGA

• ▪Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar criticized Pakistan at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2026, calling the country a "serial practitioner of terrorism."
• ▪Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar asserted at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2026, that state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism is a direct affront to the global order and called for countering terrorism's financial aspects
• ▪Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 2026, that arguments made in Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's address aimed at normalizing terrorism and claiming immunity from its consequences would not stand

India targets Pakistan over terrorism

• ▪First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Petal Gahlot stated on September 25, 2026, that 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden lived near the Pakistani Army's premier academy
• ▪First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Petal Gahlot stated that cross-border terrorism by Pakistan will have consequences, warning that friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism

India's criticism of Pakistan's governance

• ▪First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Petal Gahlot exercised India's Right of Reply on September 25, 2026, describing Pakistan as a puppet regime of the army
• ▪First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Petal Gahlot criticized Pakistan's human rights record, highlighting the treatment of minorities and the use of blasphemy laws
• ▪First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Petal Gahlot referenced Pakistan's 27th Constitutional Amendment, passed in November 2025, which grants lifelong immunity from prosecution to Field Marshal Asim Munir
• ▪First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Petal Gahlot stated that Pakistan's capital was being fortified against its own people, characterizing the administration as a "Form 47 government."

Dispute over Jammu and Kashmir

• ▪Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raised the Kashmir issue during his 23-minute address at the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2026, calling for a just and fair solution to prevent future military escalations
• ▪First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Petal Gahlot rejected Pakistan's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the territory is an integral and inalienable part of India

The May 2025 military confrontation

• ▪Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated at the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2026, that Pakistan exercised its inherent right of self-defense during a four-day military confrontation with India in May 2025
• ▪India maintained that the May 2025 ceasefire following the four-day military confrontation with Pakistan was reached through direct communication between the two sides, rejecting Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's claim of third-party intervention
• ▪India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, striking terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians
• ▪Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif credited United States President Donald Trump for a timely intervention that prevented an all-out war between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan during their May 2025 military confrontation

Debatable claims

• ▪Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India
• ▪India should refuse diplomatic engagement with Pakistan until cross-border terrorism ceases
• ▪India's cross-border military strikes are a justified response to state-sponsored terrorism