NEW DELHI: India on Monday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan at the United Nations, citing Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s “open confession” about his country’s history of supporting and training terrorists.
Speaking at the UN, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative, Yojna Patel, condemned Pakistan for misusing the international platform to spread propaganda and make baseless accusations against India. She specifically referred to Asif’s televised admission regarding Pakistan’s longstanding involvement with terrorist organizations.
“It is unfortunate that one particular delegation has chosen to misuse this forum to indulge in propaganda and level unfounded allegations against India. The world has heard Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, openly confessing his country’s history of supporting, training, and funding terrorist groups,” Patel said.
“This admission surprises no one and only reinforces Pakistan’s image as a rogue state fueling global terrorism and regional instability. The international community can no longer afford to turn a blind eye,” she added.
Patel emphasized India’s enduring victimhood of cross-border terrorism, pointing to the recent Pahalgam attack that resulted in the highest civilian casualties since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. She expressed deep appreciation for the international solidarity extended to India following the tragedy, which claimed 26 lives.
“India deeply values the strong and unequivocal support extended by global leaders and governments in the wake of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. This solidarity reflects the international community’s zero tolerance for terrorism,” Patel stated. “The Pahalgam attack represents the highest civilian death toll from a terror attack in India since the horrific 26/11 Mumbai attacks.”
Highlighting the long-term impact of terrorism, Patel stressed the need for accountability. “Having endured decades of cross-border terrorism, India understands the lasting scars such acts leave on victims, their families, and society. As emphasized by the UN Security Council, perpetrators, organizers, financiers, and sponsors of terrorism must be held accountable and brought to justice.”
These remarks came just days after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif admitted during an interview with Sky News that Pakistan had long harbored and funded terrorist groups. Asif revealed that these groups were not separate entities but “one single organization religiously organized under different faces.” He claimed Pakistan had been “doing the West’s dirty work for decades,” noting that many of today’s terrorist groups were once treated as “VIPs” in Washington during the Cold War when they were fighting the Soviet Union.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Asif acknowledged that Pakistan’s continued dealings with such groups were a strategic error. He also warned that Pakistan would respond “in kind” to any retaliatory action by India over the Pahalgam attack, while urging U.S. President Donald Trump to “bring sanity to the situation.”
In response to the Pahalgam attack, India initiated a series of diplomatic measures, including the closure of the Attari Integrated Check Post (ICP), cancellation of the Special Visa Entitlement Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals with a 40-hour exit notice, and a reduction in diplomatic staff at both nations’ High Commissions.
