**NEW YORK –** Pakistan has publicly branded India a “regional bully” at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), condemning as “utterly shameful” remarks by an Indian diplomat who referred to Pakistan as “Terroristan.” The heated exchange unfolded during the 80th UNGA session in New York, further escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Relations between Pakistan and India have long been strained, marked by four wars since their independence. Earlier this year, a brief but intense military standoff erupted after India conducted airstrikes in Pakistan following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which claimed more than two dozen lives. Pakistan denied any involvement in the attack, and the crisis eventually de-escalated with intervention from the United States. Since then, bilateral ties have remained deeply acrimonious.
The latest diplomatic spat occurred on September 27, during the fifth day of the UNGA session. In a “Right of Reply” session, Indian representative Rentala Srinivas sharply criticized Pakistan, declaring, “No arguments or untruths can ever whitewash the crimes of Terroristan,” a clear reference to Pakistan.
Responding swiftly, Muhammad Rashid, Second Secretary at the Pakistan Mission to the UN, condemned the Indian remarks. He called the attempt to distort the name of a fellow UN member state “utterly shameful” and “undignified.” Rashid asserted that India “is not just a serial perpetrator of terrorism, but a regional bully that is holding South Asia hostage to its hegemonic designs and radical ideology.” He urged the international community to take notice of India’s “reckless behaviour.”
Rashid further criticized the tone of India’s statements, arguing it “diminishes its own credibility, showing the world that it has no substantive argument to offer—only, I am sorry to say, cheap slurs which are not worthy of serious discourse.” He added that such language “reflects neither maturity nor responsibility. Instead, it exposes that India is frustrated and reveals its pettiness on the world stage.”
The Pakistani diplomat also claimed that India “itself has been implicated in supporting and sponsoring terrorism beyond its borders,” accusing Indian intelligence operatives of financing and directing groups involved in sabotage and targeted killings globally. He concluded that “undermining regional stability and violating international law is a habit for India,” exposing the “duplicity of India’s counterterrorism claims” and raising concerns that India might be “fuelling terrorism rather than combating it.”
Rashid refuted earlier claims made by Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, who, without naming Pakistan, had stated that “India has confronted this challenge since independence, having a neighbour that is an epicentre of global terrorism.” Rashid stressed that Jaishankar’s claims were “completely devoid of facts” and an attempt to “malign” Pakistan’s name.
Highlighting Pakistan’s own sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, Rashid stated that Pakistan is “one of the strongest pillars in leading global efforts for combating terrorism.” Conversely, he accused India of being “in the league of those who illegally occupy territories, oppress populations and violate fundamental human rights, as is the case in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.” He specifically cited instances of “state terrorism” including “extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions, staged encounters and collective punishment under the cover of counter terrorism.”
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to peace in South Asia, Rashid emphasized that these goals cannot be achieved through “threats and intimidation.” He extended an invitation for India to “embrace” peace, stating, “True progress requires sincerity, mutual respect, dialogue and diplomacy — principles Pakistan has upheld, and which India must finally choose to embrace, if it truly seeks peace.”
The contentious exchanges follow an address by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the UNGA on Friday, where he called for “proactive” rather than “provocative” leadership for South Asia, citing India’s recent actions against Pakistan.
