In a striking moment of international diplomacy, India forcefully rebutted Pakistan’s predictable yet audacious attempt to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Once again, the world witnessed Pakistan’s thinly veiled hypocrisy as its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for dialogue while conveniently ignoring his nation’s undeniable complicity in fostering terrorism. But this time, India’s response, delivered with both precision and fervor by Bhavika Mangalanandan, sent an unmistakable message: enough is enough.
For decades, Pakistan has sought to position itself as a victim in international forums, attempting to divert attention from its own failings by waving the flag of the Kashmir conflict. However, as Mangalanandan pointed out in India’s Right of Reply, this charade is wearing thin. Pakistan’s own record of harboring terrorists, exporting violence, and undermining democratic processes at home and abroad has long been an open secret. The tragedy is that despite being exposed time and time again, Pakistan persists in its deceptive rhetoric, hoping that by sheer repetition it can obscure the truth.
The fact that Pakistan still attempts to lecture the world on peace and security, despite the irrefutable evidence of its involvement in countless terrorist attacks, including the 2001 attack on India’s Parliament and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, is not only audacious but deeply insulting. For a country that sheltered Osama bin Laden—the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks—until his death, to talk about strategic restraint is an affront to global security.
Pakistan’s fingerprints, as India rightly stated, are on terrorist incidents across the world. The country’s willingness to provide safe haven to terrorist organizations, from the Taliban to Lashkar-e-Taiba, has made it a breeding ground for extremism. It is no longer just a threat to India or its immediate neighbors—it is a global menace. This is why India’s message at the UN resonates beyond its own borders. The international community must recognize that Pakistan’s duplicity is not just an “India-Pakistan” issue; it is a critical challenge for global peace and security.
Sharif’s suggestion that India should reverse the abrogation of Article 370, which ended the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, is a tired refrain that no longer holds weight. The abrogation is a sovereign decision by India regarding an integral part of its territory—something that Pakistan simply cannot reconcile with. Rather than acknowledging the reality, Pakistan continues to attempt to derail the peace process by funding and fostering cross-border terrorism.
This deliberate destabilization by Pakistan is not new, and India’s pointed retort only serves as a reminder of the countless instances where Pakistan has sought to undermine peace. What Sharif failed to address in his remarks is Pakistan’s continued persecution of its own minorities, the rigged elections that keep its military establishment firmly in control, and the systematic erosion of political freedom within its borders. The government’s focus on Kashmir is not driven by a genuine desire for peace, but rather by a desperate need to distract its population from domestic failures and the ongoing repression of dissent within its own country.
Perhaps the most damning critique from India was its reminder of Pakistan’s role in the 1971 genocide in what is now Bangladesh—a dark chapter that the world must never forget. Pakistan’s track record of human rights abuses and its cynical manipulation of ethnic and religious divisions to maintain control over its people make its accusations of intolerance and injustice against India particularly galling.
In a world where terrorism knows no borders, where the ideology of hate can spread in an instant, Pakistan’s persistent role as a state sponsor of terrorism cannot be ignored. India’s firm stance at the UN is not just a defense of its own sovereignty but a call to action for the global community. It is a reminder that peace cannot be negotiated with those who use terror as a tool of statecraft, and that the world must hold Pakistan accountable for its actions.
The international community has been complicit for too long in allowing Pakistan to play this dangerous double game—on the one hand, claiming to be a victim of terrorism, and on the other, actively sponsoring it. The time for diplomatic niceties is over. It is time to call out Pakistan for what it is: a nation that thrives on conflict and chaos, whose leadership is more interested in perpetuating its grip on power than fostering genuine peace in South Asia.
India’s response at the UNGA was not just a rebuttal to one speech; it was a clarion call for a more honest, more resolute global approach to the issue of terrorism. If the world is serious about eradicating terrorism, it must stop tolerating Pakistan’s dangerous duplicity. The stakes are too high, and the cost of inaction too great.
The question is: will the international community finally listen?
