This year’s 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA) session lacked the usual prime ministerial face-off—but the sparks flew during the Right of Reply exchanges between lower-ranking diplomats.
Prime Minister Sharif’s Stark Reminder
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recalled the May 2025 conflict with India, asserting that Pakistan’s armed forces had “brought down seven Indian planes” during the hostilities.
He praised US President Donald Trump for his role in brokering a ceasefire, calling him “a man of peace” and noting that Pakistan had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Sharif also delivered a subtle rebuke to India’s narrative by reminding the assembly that, according to President Trump, it was New Delhi that had requested the United States to arrange the ceasefire.
India Pushes Back
India, through its First Secretary at the UN, Petal Gahlot, used the Right of Reply to reject Sharif’s claim about downed planes. She countered by asserting that Indian forces had inflicted significant damage on Pakistani airfields and suggested that Pakistan had requested a halt to hostilities after suffering setbacks during Operation Sindoor.
Pakistan’s Sharp Rebuttal
Pakistan’s Counsellor, Saima Saleem, delivered a cutting rebuttal. She dismissed Gahlot’s claim that India had “won” the conflict, calling it “a fabricated narrative meant to conceal India’s failure on the battlefield.”
Saleem stated: “We are compelled to respond to a state that cannot decide whether to masquerade as the world’s largest democracy or expose itself as the world’s largest factory of disinformation.”
She leveled serious accusations, claiming India practices state-sponsored terrorism both domestically and abroad: “India has become the only country that treats terrorism as state policy, spreading fear domestically and destabilising others beyond its borders.”
Regarding the May conflict, she stressed: “When its adventurism collapsed in defeat, India resorted to excuses—but the truth could not be concealed. Pakistan defended its sovereignty and emerged stronger in resolve and preparedness.”
Indian Foreign Minister’s Terrorism Warning
Agencies added that India on Saturday warned the world against turning a blind eye to what it called “support for terrorism.”
Addressing the UN General Assembly a day after Pakistan appealed for talks, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar demanded “much deeper global cooperation” against terrorism.
Without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar said: “India has confronted this challenge since independence, having a neighbour that is an epicentre of global terrorism.”
He added a general warning: “Those who condone nations that sponsor terror will find that it comes back to bite them,” and affirmed that India “exercised its right to defend its people against terrorism.”
