By R Anil Kumar
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Pakistan steeped in fanaticism, terrorism: India tells UNSC meeting
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India calls for zero tolerance for terrorism, criticises Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism at UN Security Council meeting
Bengaluru/ New York. India condemned Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism at the UN, highlighting its own democratic progress while rejecting international mediation on Kashmir.
India condemned Pakistan’s sponsorship of cross border terrorism at the United Nations on at a high-level open debate chaired by Islamabad.
Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations said, ”I am constrained to respond to the remarks made by the representative of Pakistan. The Indian subcontinent offers a stark contrast in terms of progress, prosperity and development models.
On the one hand, there is India which is a mature democracy, a surging economy and a pluralistic and inclusive society, on the other extreme is Pakistan, steeped in fanaticism and terrorism, and a serial borrower from the IMF,” he said.
The debate was one of two signature events planned by Pakistan as part of its Presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of July. The presidency of the UNSC, the UN’s top decision making body, rotates every month between its 15 members.
India was responding to a statement made earlier in the day by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar who condemned India’s “occupation” of Jammu and Kashmir. Dar also questioned India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance. Through the high level open debate, Pakistan has pushed for greater international involvement in the mediation of disputes, which would presumably also include Kashmir.
In response, India stated that consent of the parties to a dispute was crucial to ensure the peaceful resolution of international conflicts. New Delhi has resisted international mediation on the Kashmir issue in favour of dealing with the dispute bilaterally.
“There cannot be one standard approach to dispute resolution. The changing circumstances and context also need to be taken into account while considering any such efforts,” said Harish.
India also called for costs to be imposed on nations that sponsor cross border terrorism before defending India’s actions in Operation Sindoor, which was launched in May as a response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
“Recently, consequent to the gruesome terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025 that led to the killing of 26 innocent tourists, and based on the Council Statement of 25 April where members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), which was focused, measured, and non-escalatory in nature,” Harish added.
“As we debate promoting international peace and security, it is essential to recognize that there are some fundamental principles which need to be universally respected. One of them is zero tolerance for terrorism” he said.
India told a United Nations Security Council meeting presided over by Pakistan that there should be a “serious cost” to nations who foment cross-border terrorism, as it described the neighbouring country as a “serial borrower” steeped in “fanaticism”.
“As we debate promoting international peace and security, it is essential to recognise that there are some fundamental principles which need to be universally respected. One of them is zero tolerance for terrorism,” India’s
Mr. Harish delivered the national statement at the U.N. Security Council high-level open debate on ‘Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes’ held under Pakistan’s presidency of the 15-nation Council for July.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar presided over the open debate that was also addressed by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
In his remarks to the debate in his national capacity, Mr. Dar raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the Indus Waters Treaty.
In the wake of the Pahalgam attack, India decided that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 would be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
Türkiye also made a reference to Jammu and Kashmir in its statement at the open debate.
Giving a strong response to Mr. Dar’s remarks, Mr. Harish said that the Indian sub-continent offers a “stark contrast” in terms of progress, prosperity and development models. “On the one hand, there is India, which is a mature democracy, a surging economy and a pluralistic and inclusive society. At the other extreme is Pakistan, steeped in fanaticism and terrorism and a serial borrower from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).”
In May this year, the IMF had approved disbursement of about one billion dollars to Pakistan under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to about $2.1 billion.
In his statement in the UNSC chamber, Mr. Harish spoke about the Pahalgam terror attack for which The Resistance Front, a front for Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility.
‘No Substitute to Peace’: India Sets the tone on Middle East Conflict at UN
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish P., delivered the country’s statement at the UN Security Council’s Quarterly Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.
Reiterating its consistent position on the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, India called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages.
India asserted that “intermittent pauses in hostility” are “not enough” to address the scale of challenges being faced by the people of the region.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, delivered the country’s statement at the UN Security Council’s Quarterly Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.
“Today’s meeting takes place against the backdrop of a persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza … Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education,” Harish said.
Underlining that the way ahead is clear, and highlighting India’s consistent position in this regard, Harish said the ongoing human suffering must not be allowed to continue.
“The way ahead is clear, and India has been consistent in this regard. The ongoing human suffering must not be allowed to continue. Humanitarian assistance needs to be facilitated in a safe, sustained and timely manner. There is no substitute to peace. A ceasefire must be put in place. All hostages must be released. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable paths to achieving these objectives. There are no other fixes or solutions…” he said.
He also expressed hope that an upcoming UN conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict would pave the way for “concrete steps” towards achieving a two-State solution.
“We have always stood by them and our commitment towards the Palestinian cause is unwavering,” he said, noting that India was the first non-Arab country to recognise the State of Palestine.
