Jaishankar Calls Pakistan 'Serial Practitioner of Terrorism' at UN
EAM S Jaishankar accused Pakistan of misrepresenting facts at the UN General Assembly and affirmed India's right to self-defence against terrorism.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday accused Pakistan of being a "serial practitioner of terrorism" and misrepresenting facts at the United Nations General Assembly. Speaking at the 81st session, he rejected the arguments put forward by Pakistan a day earlier and asserted India's right to defend itself against terrorism.
Without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar directly referenced the previous day's address by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said attempts were made to "normalise terrorism" and claim immunity from its consequences, adding that such arguments "will not stand." He conditioned any normalisation of ties on the cessation of terrorism, stating that "friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism."
On Friday, Sharif had revisited the May military confrontation, describing India's Operation Sindoor as an act of "external aggression" launched under a "false pretext." He claimed Pakistan's actions were a legitimate exercise of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Sharif also praised Field Marshal Asim Munir and the Pakistani armed forces, saying they had "silenced the enemy" and taught it a lesson.
Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for his "timely intervention" in halting Operation Sindoor. Trump later shared the 87-second clip on Truth Social without comment.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. New Delhi has rejected Trump's claims of mediation and asserted that the operation was paused following a request from Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations to his Indian counterpart.