WorldPosted at: Sep 27 2026 12:13AM


Serial practitioner of terrorism: Jaishankar targets Pakistan, warns conflicts have global fallout

New York, Sep 27 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday delivered a sharp message to Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly, accusing a “serial practitioner of terrorism” of misrepresenting facts before the world body and warning that India’s right to defend itself against terrorism “will be exercised”.
Without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar said attempts to “normalise” terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences would not be accepted.
“That will not stand. Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised,” he told the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
“Friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism,” Jaishankar said, adding that understandings premised on such an approach would “naturally be called into question”.
He also made clear that India would not dilute its position on terrorism, saying governments indulging in such practices must be held accountable.
“There must be no dilution in our zero tolerance approach towards terrorism,” he said, stressing that the financial aspects of terrorism must particularly be exposed and choked.
Jaishankar’s remarks came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the General Assembly. India’s subsequent response to Sharif also rejected Pakistan’s claims and reiterated New Delhi’s position on terrorism and self-defence.
The External Affairs Minister placed the Pakistan issue in the wider context of a world facing multiple conflicts, geopolitical tensions and a weakening of trust between nations.
He said countries far removed from conflict zones were increasingly bearing the consequences of wars, while those most affected often had the least say in decisions shaping the global order.
“This Assembly must face up to the true state of affairs,” Jaishankar said, stressing the need to protect civilians and maintain the movement of food, grains and energy.
He referred to the continuing conflict in West Asia and said the situation in the Gulf is exacerbating an already difficult global environment. He also described the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, as a matter of concern and said India supported ongoing initiatives to bring peace.
The minister said the impact of conflicts was not confined to battlefields, with attacks on commercial shipping and disruptions to energy, food and supply chains affecting countries across the world.
“There have been attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers in the Gulf and from the Red Sea to the Black Sea. Indian seafarers have lost their lives, as indeed have others from other nations. This is completely unacceptable,” he said while expressing grave concerns over the security and safety of maritime and seafarers.
India has joined Liberia and 23 other partners in an initiative to rally global public opinion against attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers, he said, stressing that the safety and security of shipping must not be compromised.
Jaishankar also warned of a new form of global competition in which institutions are being undermined and “chokepoints” established, with finance, market access, supply chains, technology, resources and connectivity increasingly being used as instruments of leverage.
“As a result, nations are now more focused on investing and diversification. Now while this may secure their interests to varying degrees, the overall atmosphere is no longer one of trust or goodwill,” he said.
He said the predicament of the Global South was particularly acute, facing a “4F crisis” involving food, fuel, fertilizer and finance.
The combined impact of soaring costs, fertilizer shortages and impediments to grain movements was a cause for alarm, while progress on the Sustainable Development Goals was also coming under increasing pressure, he said.
The right of the Global South to industrialise was being undermined by “non-market practices and market denial”, while technological advances that were expected to empower societies were increasingly becoming a source of anxiety.
“Misuse of AI is sharpening bias and diluting mutual trust,” Jaishankar said, warning that such trends were detrimental to the objectives of the United Nations.
Turning to India’s development experience, Jaishankar said the country’s inclusive growth and all-round progress had advanced the prospects of “one-sixth of humanity”.
He said improvements in health, nutrition, education, drinking water, electricity, roads and housing were not only benefiting Indians but were also contributing to global SDG outcomes.
“Our digital public infrastructure is not only ensuring better governance, but is the backbone of delivering socio-economic benefits,” he said.
India’s rapid infrastructure expansion, improving ease of doing business and ease of living, startup and innovation ecosystem and focused sectoral missions had contributed to the country’s economic progress, he said.
At the same time, India remained conscious of its responsibilities towards the developing world and was sharing its experience, technology and capabilities with other countries.
“600 major Indian development projects in 78 nations testify to our commitment,” Jaishankar said, noting that the projects ranged from infrastructure, manufacturing and agriculture to IT and capacity building.
He said climate action was an important part of these efforts, including clean energy and clean water projects, sustainable agriculture and the sharing of best practices and technology.
African nations and small island developing states, he said, had been among India’s preferred partners.
He highlighted initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the Global Biofuel Alliance, saying these were making steady progress.
India had also continued to provide humanitarian assistance in conflict-affected areas and following natural disasters, including medical supplies and support to address shortages of food, medicines, energy and fertiliser.
Jaishankar said India’s capacity-building and experience-sharing programmes had made a difference across the Global South, particularly in Africa, while livelihood creation remained another area of focus.
India’s contribution to maintaining international peace has also remained substantial, he said, noting that Indian contingents were currently deployed in nine of the 11 UN peacekeeping mandates.
Indian troops had stood their ground firmly and professionally even under pressure, he said, while highlighting the recognition given to an Indian woman combat helicopter pilot, who received the UN 2025 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award.
On artificial intelligence, Jaishankar said India viewed the technology as a transformational driver for human empowerment, economic prosperity and population-scale problem solving.
“We believe in the right of each nation to shape its ecosystem with the development of its own models and deployment strategies consistent with its national goals," he added.
Jaishankar also made a strong pitch for greater cultural understanding, saying economic rebalancing was already under way and political rebalancing was visible, but “the third facet, cultural rebalancing, must now be taken forward”.
“We are now well on our way towards a multipolar world,” he said, adding that the post-1945 order was “giving way to new realities”.
He said the transition would require adjustment, accommodation and acceptance, while peace in a pluralistic order required civil conversations, broad-based consultations and transparent decision-making.
“Large sections of humanity cannot be excluded from that process. The case for reformed multilateralism only gets stronger day after day,” he said.
As the General Debate concluded, Jaishankar said India hoped all participating delegations would emerge with a greater commitment to development and prosperity.
“This cannot be an imposition or even a negotiation. It must be a mindset, it must be an outlook, it must be a belief,” he said.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he concluded: “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.”
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Tags: #Serial practitioner of terrorism: Jaishankar targets Pakistan# warns conflicts have global fallout
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