“Serial practitioner of terrorism” — Jaishankar’s blunt UN message to Pakistan

Jaishankar called Pakistan a "serial practitioner of terrorism" at the UN, saying India's right to self-defence will be exercised

PGurus Newsdesk

September 27, 2026

Jaishankar calls for global action to dismantle state-backed terror networks and expose their financing

India says Pakistan’s Right of Reply, despite not being named, amounts to an admission of cross-border terrorism

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar delivered a pointed rebuke of Pakistan during India’s national statement at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Saturday, describing an unnamed neighbouring country as a “serial practitioner of terrorism” and declaring that India’s right to defend itself against terrorism will continue to be exercised.

Without naming Pakistan directly, Jaishankar said a “serial practitioner of terrorism” had misrepresented facts before the assembly a day earlier, and that arguments invoked to normalise terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences would not stand.

“Friendship and goodwill cannot co-exist with terrorism”

The remarks came in direct response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif‘s UNGA address, in which Sharif had credited US President Donald Trump with “timely intervention” during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, while also raising the Kashmir issue and the Indus Waters Treaty — which India has said will remain in abeyance until Pakistan ends its support for cross-border terrorism.

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

A call to dismantle state-backed terror networks

Jaishankar broadened his remarks into a wider call for global action against state-sponsored terrorism, arguing that when terrorism carries a cross-border, state-backed purpose, it becomes a direct affront to the global order. He said governments engaged in such practices must be held accountable, that there should be no dilution in a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, and that the financial networks sustaining it must be exposed and countered.

He also criticised countries that, in his words, attempt to distort global realities to justify safe havens for extremists, and called on the international community to dismantle state-backed terror networks without exception.

Delivering 🇮🇳’s statement at the 81st session of the @UN General Assembly. #UNGA81 https://t.co/IcMcmTNNAc
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 26, 2026

Pakistan responds — and India hits back again

Later that evening, in its own Right of Reply, Pakistan’s delegation accused India of attempting to “malign” the country with “malicious accusations,” despite Jaishankar not having named Pakistan directly, and characterised India’s remarks as a “deliberate attempt to repeat lies.”

India’s delegation responded by arguing that Pakistan’s decision to respond to unnamed remarks was itself telling. India said it was notable that a neighbour who wasn’t named nonetheless chose to respond and, in doing so, effectively admitted to its longstanding practice of cross-border terrorism, adding that Pakistan’s reputation “speaks for itself.”

Broader address on global conflict

Beyond the exchange with Pakistan, Jaishankar’s address also touched on the state of global conflict more broadly, calling for restraint, de-escalation and stronger measures to protect civilians, and warning that continued hostilities in various parts of the world were undermining both global security and economic and developmental progress.

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