India delivered a strong rebuttal to Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), asserting that a country that has long been associated with cross-border terrorism cannot expect immunity from the consequences of its actions. The remarks came after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used his UNGA address to criticise India and raise several bilateral issues.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at the UN, did not mention Pakistan by name but referred to a “serial practitioner of terrorism” that had sought to misrepresent facts before the international community. He said attempts to normalise terrorism or seek exemption from accountability would not succeed.
“Arguments seeking to normalise terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences will not stand,” Jaishankar said, adding that India would continue to exercise its right to defend itself against terrorist threats. He stressed that friendship, goodwill and cooperation could not coexist with terrorism, and that any relationship built on such a contradiction would inevitably face serious challenges.
Jaishankar further argued that state-sponsored terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to global peace and security. According to him, governments that knowingly support, finance or shelter terrorist networks must be held accountable by the international community. He described cross-border terrorism as a direct challenge to international norms and the rules-based global order.
India’s response followed comments made by Sharif, who had accused New Delhi of destabilising regional peace and warned over issues linked to water resources and security. Indian officials rejected those remarks as misleading and politically motivated.
The exchange highlights the continuing diplomatic tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Despite periodic calls for dialogue, relations remain strained over terrorism, border security and other long-standing disputes.
India has consistently maintained that meaningful engagement can only take place in an environment free from terrorism. At the UN, New Delhi used the opportunity to reiterate that position and signal that accountability for terrorism remains a core element of its foreign policy and national security approach.