Pak epicentre of global terrorism: Jaishankar at UN
United Nations, Sep 28: India launched a sharp attack on Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar declaring that “India has confronted this challenge since independence, having a neighbour that is an epicentre of global terrorism.”
Speaking at the General Debate of the 80th UNGA session, Jaishankar said: “For decades now, major international terrorist attacks are traced back to that one country. UN’s designated lists of terrorists are replete with its nationals.
The most recent example of cross-border barbarism was the murder of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April this year. India exercised its right to defend its people against terrorism and brought its organizers and perpetrators to justice.” The minister underlined that terrorism remains a shared global threat requiring stronger collective action. “Because terrorism is a shared threat, it is essential that there is much deeper international cooperation. When nations openly declare terrorism as state policy, when terror hubs operate on an industrial scale, when terrorists are publicly glorified, then such actions must be unequivocally condemned,” he said.
Jaishankar stressed that the financing of terrorism must be “choked,” and urged member states to apply “relentless pressure… on the entire terrorism eco-system.” He warned that “those who condone nations that sponsor terror will find that it comes back to bite them.” Beyond terrorism, Jaishankar delivered a stark assessment of the state of the United Nations. “An objective report card will show that the UN is in a state of crisis,” he said, citing gridlock on conflicts, slow progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, and a lack of credibility in climate action.
Calling for reforms to make the Security Council more representative, he said, “Central to the erosion of UN’s credibility has been resistance to reform… The historical injustice done to Africa should be redressed. Both permanent and non-permanent membership of the Council must be expanded. And India stands ready to assume greater responsibilities.” Jaishankar also presented India’s global vision under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rooted in “Atmanirbharta (self-reliance), Atmaraksha (self-protection), and Atmavishwas (self-confidence).” He pledged that Bharat would “always maintain its freedom of choice, and will always be a voice of the Global South.” Concluding his address, Jaishankar urged the world body to live up to its founding charter: “International cooperation must prevail because islands of prosperity cannot flourish in an ocean of turbulence… Every member who can make this world a better place must have the opportunity to do their utmost. And for that to happen, reformed multilateralism is the obvious way.”
