UNGA 2026: India blasts Pakistan, says, 'goodwill' and 'cooperation' cannot coexist with terrorism

While addressing the UNGA session, Jaishankar, without taking Sharif's name, said the Pakistan PM had tried to "normalise terrorism" and "claim immunity" from its fallout, while asserting that India has the right to self-defence.

Updated : Sep 27, 2026, 07:42 AM IST

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the UN General Assembly for "misrepresenting facts" and described Islamabad as a "serial practitioner of terrorism."

“Governments indulging in such practices must be held accountable. There must be no dilution in our zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism. Its financial aspects, in particular, should be exposed and should be countered," he said.

Stressing that India will exercise its right to self-defence against terrorist attacks, the EAM said friendship and goodwill cannot co-exist with terrorism. "The perpetrator of terrorism must mend its ways," he said.

This comes after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raised the Indus Waters Treaty at the UNGA and said any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of waters would be treated as an “act of war".

Sharif in his address had brought up the four-day India-Pakistan military standoff in May 2025, claiming Islamabad had invoked its "inherent right of self-defence" under Article 51 of the UN Charter during the conflict and lauded the response of Pakistan's armed forces.

After the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025 that killed 26 civilians, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The escalation ended with a ceasefire that came into effect on May 10.

During his speech, Pakistan's Prime Minister also thanked US President Donald Trump, claiming his intervention was timely and came at a decisive stage.

“His timely intervention came at a decisive juncture when two nuclear-armed neighbors stood at the brink of an all-out war. And, who knows, Mr. President, the extent of devastation that could have taken place had President Trump not stepped in at this critical moment with clarity of thought and action. Mr President, we must therefore ensure that South Asia never reaches that precipice ever again,” Sharif said.

India has firmly held that the May 2025 ceasefire with Pakistan was the result of direct engagement between the two sides, with no role for any third party.

Earlier, exercising India's right of reply, Indian diplomat Petal Gahlot termed Sharif's remarks “bizarre” and brought the Assembly's attention to Pakistan's history of sheltering high-profile terrorists, noting that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, was discovered residing within Pakistan.

“The US just observed the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Its mastermind was living at the doorstep of Pakistan's Army's premier academy,” she pointed out.