India on Friday hit back at Pakistan at the United Nations, describing it as a “puppet” regime and ripping into its “falsehoods” and “deceit”, while warning that continued terrorism by Islamabad would have consequences.
Exercising its Right of Reply at the UN General Assembly, India responded to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the UNGA, where he credited US President Donald Trump for his “timely intervention” during the 2025 conflict with India and again raised the Kashmir issue.
First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Petal Gahlot, said Pakistan’s remarks on democratic rights and human values were “hypocritical homilies” coming from a regime whose capital was being “fortified against its own people”.
“And that…is happening because this is a regime of the army, by the army, and for the army. Their puppets may come and go but let us have no illusion who calls the shots. The reality of Pakistan is expressed in its 27th Amendment and the lifelong immunity granted to its real ruler,” Gahlot said.
She was referring to the 27th Constitutional Amendment passed in November last year by the Shehbaz Sharif government, which grants Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir lifelong immunity from legal prosecution.
“We are confident that this Assembly will recognise Pakistan and its policies for what they really are; not what its representative mendaciously projects it to be. Reiterating falsehoods year after year does not make them true. Pakistan’s terrorism, deceit and duplicity will neither benefit it nor the world,” she said.
In his UNGA address, Sharif had thanked Trump for his “resolute and visionary leadership”, saying the US president’s “timely intervention” had saved hundreds of millions of lives in South Asia.
During his nearly 23-minute address, Sharif also raised the Kashmir issue, saying a “just and fair solution” was required to ensure South Asia never again reaches the brink of a conflict such as the one in 2025.
India, in response, said Sharif’s “bizarre remarks” came just a fortnight after New York City and the world marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“This context…is important to keep in mind because its mastermind, Osama Bin Laden, was living right on the doorstep of the Pakistani Army’s premier academy,” Gahlot said.
Responding to Sharif’s remarks on Kashmir, Gahlot reiterated India’s position that Jammu and Kashmir is an “integral and inalienable part” of the country.
“And will always remain so. But if we must talk about Kashmir, let us turn our attention to the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Ask the people of Rawalakot about the wanton killings, the brutal violence and the denial of basic rights that they have long experienced,” she said.
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has witnessed protests for several months over 12 contentious refugee seats, leading to a crackdown by security forces and allegations of rigging in the recently held elections to the so-called legislative assembly.
Gahlot also criticised Pakistan over what she called its “longstanding practice” of cross-border terrorism, saying India had demonstrated last year that “terrorists will have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide”.
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 terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
“Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised. And continued terrorism by Pakistan will have consequences. It will understandably call into question what were premised on friendship and goodwill,” Gahlot said.
She also criticised Sharif’s remarks on religious intolerance, saying they came from a regime with a “long record of bigotry and hatred”.
“This Assembly was subjected to remarks about religious intolerance from the very regime whose mainstay is blasphemy laws. The world knows how minorities are treated in Pakistan; no pious platitude can mislead it,” she said.
(With inputs from PTI)
