United Nations: India issued a scathing response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), accusing Islamabad of spreading falsehoods and glorifying terrorism. The remarks came during India’s Right of Reply, exercised shortly after Sharif addressed the global body.
Representing India at the UN, Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission, delivered a pointed rebuttal, calling the Pakistani Prime Minister’s address a “display of absurd theatrics” and highlighting Pakistan’s continued patronage of terrorism as a state policy.
“This Assembly witnessed a performance this morning by the Prime Minister of Pakistan that can only be described as theatrics designed to distort reality. Glorifying terrorism cannot hide the truth,” Gahlot stated.
Pakistan’s UN Speech Sparks Controversy
In his speech, Sharif referenced the recent four-day conflict in May—dubbed ‘Operation Sindoor’ by Indian forces—and claimed that seven Indian fighter jets were damaged during the exchange. This directly contradicted statements made by India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, who earlier revealed that Indian forces had downed five Pakistani fighter aircraft and a large surveillance plane in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives.
India had launched the operation on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the massacre, which was attributed to Pakistan-based terror groups.
“Pictures Don’t Lie,” Says India
Responding to Pakistan’s denial of involvement, Gahlot cited photographic and intelligence evidence of terror training camps in Bahawalpur and Muridke, where terrorists were eliminated during India’s airstrikes.
“These were not just empty buildings. These were functional terror complexes. The images of slain terrorists are not fiction—they are facts,” she said.
She also referred to a UN Security Council meeting in April, during which Pakistan allegedly blocked the designation of ‘The Resistance Front’—a Pakistani-backed group accused of killing tourists in Jammu and Kashmir—as a terrorist entity.
“No Shame in Shelter for Terrorists”
India’s statement went further, invoking Pakistan’s history of harboring wanted terrorists.
“This is a country that gave safe haven to Osama bin Laden for nearly a decade while masquerading as a partner in the global war on terror. Even today, its ministers admit to the existence of terror training camps. There is no shame, only deception,” Gahlot said.
She also ridiculed Sharif’s reference to former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom Pakistan had nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. During his speech, Sharif had credited Trump with “averting a war in South Asia” and praised him as a “man of peace.” Sharif had met Trump in Washington, D.C., a day earlier, along with Pakistani military officials.
Kashmir Issue Raised Again
As has been routine in past UNGA sessions, Kashmir found a prominent place in Sharif’s address. He reiterated Pakistan’s demand for an “impartial plebiscite” under UN supervision and accused India of revoking the Indus Waters Treaty as retaliation for recent terror incidents.
India, however, maintained that all engagements and agreements are governed by bilateral frameworks, and any claims to the contrary are “misleading and politically motivated.”
A Familiar Pattern, Says India
India concluded its reply by accusing Pakistan of using international platforms to deflect attention from its internal failures by scapegoating external actors.
“It is unfortunate, but not surprising, that Pakistan continues to use this stage to mislead the international community while evading responsibility for sponsoring cross-border terrorism,” said Gahlot.
India’s response underlines its consistent position at the UN: that dialogue cannot coexist with terror and that Pakistan must dismantle its terror infrastructure if it seeks credible engagement.
