UNITED NATIONS — Pakistan forcefully rejected India’s allegations at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with Second Secretary Muhammad Rashid branding New Delhi as “a serial perpetrator of terrorism” and “a regional bully.”
Exercising Pakistan’s right of reply to remarks by Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Rashid said Islamabad had sacrificed more than 90,000 lives in the fight against terrorism and remained a strong pillar of global counter-terrorism efforts.
“India itself has been implicated in supporting and sponsoring terrorism beyond its borders,” Rashid said, citing credible reports of Indian intelligence networks financing and directing sabotage and targeted killings abroad. He added, “Undermining regional stability and violating international law is a habit for India.”
Condemning India’s rhetoric, Rashid said the distortion of Pakistan’s name in the Assembly was “undignified” and “a deliberate attempt to malign an entire people.” He stressed that India’s conduct “exposes its frustration and reveals its pettiness on the world stage,” noting that resorting to cheap slurs undermines New Delhi’s credibility.
During his UNGA address earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan had delivered a “bloody nose” to India during the recent May conflict and now sought peace in South Asia. “We have won the war, and now we seek to win peace in our part of the world, and this is my most sincere and serious offer before this assembly,” he said, lauding Pakistan’s armed forces under Field Marshal Asim Munir for their “stunning professionalism and bravery” in repelling India’s assault.
The sharp exchanges at the UNGA reflect the deepening hostility between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, with Islamabad accusing India of hegemonic designs while New Delhi continues to blame Pakistan for cross-border militancy in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.