India hit back at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), accusing him of “glorifying terrorism” and indulging in “absurd theatrics”.
“This Assembly witnessed absurd theatrics in the morning from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who once again glorified terrorism that is so central to their foreign policies,” Indian diplomat Petal Gahlot said in her response.
She recalled that Pakistan had shielded The Resistance Front (TRF), the militant group that claimed responsibility for killing 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. She also said Pakistan had once given shelter to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in 2011 by US forces in Abbottabad.
“No degree of drama and no level of lies can conceal the facts. This is the very same Pakistan which, at the UN Security Council on April 25, 2025, shielded the TRF from accountability for the barbaric massacre of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir,” Gahlot said.
Bin Laden, who had claimed responsibility for the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people from over 70 countries, was found hiding in Pakistan despite its claims of being a counter-terrorism partner.
Sharif’s address
Earlier at the UNGA, Sharif accused India of “unprovoked aggression” during clashes earlier this year, saying Pakistan’s armed forces repelled the attack with “professionalism and bravery” and shot down several Indian aircraft — a claim rejected by New Delhi. He also praised US President Donald Trump for helping secure a ceasefire.
Sharif said Pakistan was ready for a “composite, comprehensive and result-oriented dialogue” with India but warned that disputes over Kashmir and water resources remained volatile. He accused India of suspending the Indus Waters Treaty in what he called “an act of war”.
The Indian government announced the suspension of the treaty indefinitely as part of measures against Islamabad after investigations linked Pakistan-based groups to the Pahalgam killings.
Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s support for Kashmiris, vowing to “ardently defend” their rights and again called for a UN-supervised plebiscite.
Pahalgam massacre
On April 22, gunmen belonging to TRF, an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, killed 26 people — including 23 Hindu tourists — in Baisaran meadows near Pahalgam. The attackers reportedly forced the victims to recite Islamic verses and checked their religious identity before shooting them in front of their families.
Months later, the United States designated TRF as a foreign terrorist organisation.
