India Warns Pakistan of 'Consequences' After Sharif's 'Act of War' Threat at UN
India exercised its right of reply at the UN General Assembly after Pakistan's PM called any change to the Indus Waters Treaty an 'act of war'.
India has warned Pakistan of "consequences" over its continued export of terrorism, responding sharply at the United Nations General Assembly just hours after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that any attempt to alter the Indus Waters Treaty would amount to an "act of war".
Exercising India's right of reply, Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the UN, rejected Sharif's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir and reiterated that the Union Territory is an "integral and inalienable part" of India and will remain so.
Addressing the Assembly, Gahlot drew attention to the situation in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, pointing to what she described as wanton killings, brutal violence and the denial of basic rights faced by people there. She cited Rawalakot as an example. Elections to the so-called PoK Assembly, scheduled last month, were indefinitely postponed for several seats following violent clashes, security crackdowns and the killing of dozens of protesters.
Gahlot also reminded the world body of Pakistan's record on harbouring terrorists, noting that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, had been living near the Pakistani Army's premier academy. She said the world is aware of how minorities are treated in Pakistan and that no pious platitude can mislead it.
Referring to cross-border terrorism and India's Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terror attack, she said India had demonstrated that terrorists will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. "Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised and continued. Terrorism by Pakistan will have consequences," she said.
Gahlot further stated that repeating falsehoods year after year does not make them true, and expressed confidence that the Assembly would recognise Pakistan and its policies for what they really are.
Earlier, Sharif used his UNGA address to raise the Kashmir issue, claiming that people there had been waiting for the United Nations to fulfil its commitment to a plebiscite under its auspices. He alleged attempts to alter the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir through demographic changes and other measures.
On the Indus waters, Sharif said any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan's share of the river system would be treated as an act of war. India placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, and has made clear it will remain so until Pakistan credibly stops cross-border terrorism. Sharif also praised US President Donald Trump's leadership and thanked him for what he called a timely intervention in South Asia.