United Nations, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India strongly rejected Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, with First Secretary at India’s UN Mission Petal Gahlot accusing Islamabad of using the forum to attack India while allegedly ignoring its own record on terrorism, minority rights and democracy.
Exercising India’s right of reply on Friday, Gahlot said Sharif represented “a regime of the Army, by the Army, and for the Army”, arguing that Pakistan’s political leadership remained subordinate to its military establishment.
“Their puppets may come and go but let us have no illusion who calls the shots,” she said.
Gahlot referred to the presence of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, near the Pakistan Military Academy, while recalling the September 11, 2001 attacks. She also criticised Sharif’s repeated references to Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir during his UN address.
She described Pakistan as a “Form 47 government”, echoing a term used by critics of Pakistan’s 2024 election process, and accused Islamabad of making claims about democracy and human rights while allegedly restricting dissent at home.
On religious freedom, Gahlot rejected Sharif’s remarks about intolerance in India, saying they came from a country whose legal framework includes blasphemy provisions carrying severe penalties. She said Pakistan’s treatment of minorities could not be obscured by “pious platitude”.
Turning to Jammu and Kashmir, Gahlot reiterated India’s position that the Union Territory is an “integral and inalienable part” of the country. She instead urged the international community to examine conditions in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, referring specifically to alleged violence and rights violations in areas including Rawalakot.
Gahlot also defended India’s Operation Sindoor, saying India had demonstrated that terrorists would have “nowhere to run, nowhere to hide”. She warned that India would exercise its right to defend itself against terrorism.
“Continued terrorism by Pakistan will have consequences,” she said, adding that continued attacks could affect assumptions based on friendship and goodwill.
Sharif had raised Kashmir during his UN address and credited US President Donald Trump with intervening during the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict.
Concluding her response, Gahlot said India was confident that the General Assembly would assess Pakistan’s policies on the basis of their actions rather than their presentation at the UN.
“Reiterating falsehoods year after year does not make them true,” she said.
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