Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has accused Pakistan of being a “serial practitioner of terrorism”, rejecting remarks made by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the United Nations General Assembly.

Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Jaishankar said Pakistan had “misrepresented facts” before the assembly and accused it of invoking arguments aimed at normalising terrorism.

“Yesterday, a serial practitioner of terrorism misrepresented facts before this assembly. Arguments were invoked to normalise terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences. That will not stand,” Jaishankar said.

Without directly naming Pakistan, he affirmed India’s right to defend itself against terrorism and said any normalisation of relations would depend on an end to terrorism.

“Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised. Friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism, and understandings premised on that will naturally be called into question. It is for the perpetrator of terrorism to mend its ways,” he said.

Jaishankar also described terrorism as a persistent threat to global peace, particularly when it is state-sponsored and involves cross-border operations.

“That this could be state-sponsored, with cross-border purpose, makes it a direct affront to the global order. Governments indulging in such practices must be held accountable,” he said.

“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 added.

On Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif revisited the May military confrontation with India, describing India’s Operation Sindoor as an act of “external aggression” launched under a “false pretext”.

Sharif said Pakistan’s response was a legitimate exercise of its right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

He also praised Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir and the country’s armed forces.

“They silenced the enemy, repulsed its attacks and taught it a lesson it shall never, ever forget,” Sharif said.

Sharif also thanked US President Donald Trump for his “timely intervention” in halting Operation Sindoor. Trump later shared an 87-second clip of Sharif’s remarks on Truth Social without comment.

India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May last year, targeting what it described as terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians.

New Delhi has rejected Trump’s claims and said Operation Sindoor was paused following a request from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations to his Indian counterpart.

Source: NDTV