Breaking News: Jaishankar Targets Pakistan at UN, Says Only Issue Left is Restoring PoK to India
In a powerful address to the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar launched a scathing critique against Pakistan, focusing on the longstanding Kashmir issue. Jaishankar made it unequivocally clear that the only remaining matter between the two countries is the restoration of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to India, reiterating India’s firm stance on the matter.
“We heard some bizarre assertions from this very forum yesterday,” Jaishankar stated, directly responding to remarks made by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “Let me make India’s position very clear: Pakistan’s policy of cross-border terrorism will never succeed. And it can have no expectation of impunity. On the contrary, actions will certainly have consequences. The issue to be resolved between us is only the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan and, of course, the abandonment of Pakistan’s long-standing attachment to terrorism,” he declared.
Jaishankar’s remarks came after Sharif raised the Kashmir issue once again at the UNGA, demanding India reverse its 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and accusing India of suppressing its Muslim population. Jaishankar, however, dismissed these assertions and emphasized that Pakistan’s obsession with harboring terrorists and promoting radicalization has led to its own internal collapse.
“Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control. But some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences. A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan,” Jaishankar remarked. He further added, “When this polity instils such fanaticism among its people, its GDP can only be measured in terms of radicalization and its exports in the form of terrorism. Today, we see the ills it sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can’t blame the world; this is only karma.”
On Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine Conflicts
Moving beyond the India-Pakistan issue, Jaishankar addressed the broader geopolitical crises engulfing the world. He underscored India’s support for the UNGA theme of “Leaving No One Behind” but noted that the global community is gathered at a challenging time.
“We are gathered here at a difficult time. The world has yet to recover from the ravages of the COVID pandemic. A war in Ukraine is well into its third year, and the conflict in Gaza is acquiring wider ramifications,” Jaishankar said. He called on the international community to respect international law, emphasizing the UN’s role in upholding global order and shared objectives.
“The UN is a testimony to the agreed principles and shared objectives of the world order. Respect for international law and commitments are among the foremost in that regard,” he said. Jaishankar also highlighted the need for a proactive UN in addressing global issues, stating, “We must step up, not because it is a competition of foreign influences, but because if we carry on like this, the state of the world will only get worse.”
India’s Strong Response to Pakistan’s Kashmir Remarks
India’s response to Pakistan’s rhetoric at the UN was swift and firm. Earlier, Bhavika Mangalanandan, First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, delivered a pointed rebuttal to Sharif’s claims, emphasizing Pakistan’s well-known track record of using cross-border terrorism as a state policy.
“A country run by the military, known for its notoriety in spreading terrorism, has had the audacity to attack the world’s largest democracy,” Mangalanandan said. She also reminded UN members of Pakistan’s involvement in terrorist attacks on the Indian Parliament, Mumbai, and various public spaces, reinforcing India’s position that Pakistan cannot escape accountability for its actions.
Jaishankar’s speech underscored India’s unwavering stance on Pakistan’s role in fomenting terrorism and the necessity of restoring PoK to Indian control. With his strong words at the UNGA, Jaishankar signaled that India will not relent on its key territorial and security concerns while also stressing the importance of a united global effort to uphold international law and order amidst ongoing conflicts.
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