India launches Scathing attack on Pakistan at UNSC, says sponsoring terrorism will have consequences

By R Anil Kumar

New York/Bengaluru, May 26, 2026. India launched a scathing attack on Pakistan at the UN Security Council (UNSC), declaring that Islamabad “will have to accept that there are consequences for sponsoring cross-border terrorism” and accusing it of decades-long support for terrorism, religious extremism and violent radicalism.

Speaking at the UNSC Open Debate in New York, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish delivered a blistering rebuttal and said, “I am compelled to respond to baseless and unwarranted remarks made by Pakistan today. India would like to set the facts straight.”

The Indian envoy said Pakistan’s record since Independence had been marked by aggression against India and continued sponsorship of terrorism across the border.

“Independent India began its life battling with cross-border aggression by Pakistan, which coveted Indian territories that had become a part of India as a result of their complete, legal and irrevocable accession,” he said.

Harish accused Pakistan of repeatedly violating the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful coexistence through wars, unprovoked aggression and terror activities directed against India.

“The use of cross-border terrorism by Pakistan and its doctrine of ‘bleeding India by a thousand cuts’ exposes its hollow rhetoric of commitment to the UN Charter,” he said.

The envoy strongly asserted that “India has every right to defend itself from such cross-border terrorism. Pakistan will have to accept that there are consequences of its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism.”

He also accused Pakistan of systematically fostering extremist forces since its creation.

“Pakistan’s harnessing of the malevolent forces of terrorism, religious extremism, violent radicalism, and anti-India rhetoric has continued unabated since its creation,” the Indian envoy said.

“The facts in this regard are on public record and need no further elucidation. Pakistan must credibly and irrevocably end its support for all forms of terrorism,” he added.

“It is ironic that Pakistan, with its long-tainted record of genocidal acts, has chosen to refer to issues that are strictly internal to India,” Parvathaneni said.

India calls out UNSC ‘frozen’ architecture: Akin to running advanced AI technologies on 1945 version of computer

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni called for reforms to UNSC, reflecting current geopolitical realities

He called out divisions among permanent veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council at a meeting here chaired by China and emphasised that the Council must be a living instrument, “not a fossil” whose “frozen” architecture is akin to running advanced AI technologies on a 1945 version of the computer.

“The period of heightened activism of the Council has now faded, and the world is now characterised by fragmentation and confrontation. We have a divided Council at the level of permanent veto-wielding members. The calls for enhancing efficiencies and productivity at the UN are more pronounced than ever,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said.

Harish made this statement addressing the Security Council debate on “Upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and strengthening the UN-centred international system”, chaired by China under its presidency of the 15-nation UN body for the month of May. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over the opening session of the debate.

China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are the five permanent veto-wielding members of the UNSC.

The Indian Ambassador said concerns related to legitimacy, efficacy and relevance of the UN are growing, particularly the role of the Security Council in delivering on its mandate of maintenance of international peace and security.

India underlined that “central” to the UN’s current challenges is an architecture that is “frozen” in the 1940s. “It is akin to running advanced AI technologies on the 1945 version of the computer called the Electronic Numerical Integrator.

Lack of progress in inter-governmental negotiations on Council reforms is indicative of entrenched interest of several member states to maintain the status quo and retain the eight decade-old UNSC architecture,” Parvathaneni said.

India stressed that the UNSC architecture that is “frozen” in time must make way for purposeful reform, reflecting contemporary geopolitical realities.

“Sacrifices made in the Second World War alone cannot justify an archaic and antiquated design for perpetuity,” the Indian envoy said, making a reference to the victorious Allied Powers of the Second World War who have retained their privileged veto-wielding status in the Council as permanent members ever since.

“We cannot shield the permanent category of membership from any review or reform forever while calling for enhanced representation of developing countries and under- and un-represented geographies only in the elected category of membership,” Harish said.

India called for expanding the permanent category of UNSC membership, saying this alone will change the decision-making process of the Council. “Not adapting to changed circumstances would further diminish the authority, the credibility, legitimacy and effectiveness of the UN Security Council,” the Indian envoy said.

India also underlined the importance of making the UNSC “more transparent”, saying the Council “must be a living instrument, not a fossil. More than any other member state, the permanent members must deliberate on this matter”.

India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts for achieving reform of the Security Council, including expansion in both its permanent and non-permanent categories, saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st century and does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities. New Delhi has consistently underscored that it rightly deserves a permanent seat at the horse-shoe table. India last sat at the UN high-table as a non-permanent member in 2021-22.

Emphasising that the UN cannot be indifferent to the “fundamental evolutionary principle” of being “adaptable”, India also highlighted that a critical challenge the UN faces today is one of double standards.

“These are characterised not only by inconsistent application of principles in different situations, but also by inconsistency between words and actions. Brute force and power do not deliver stronger multilateralism or global public good,” Parvathaneni Harish said.

India emphasised that even though the UN was established, it did not put an end to colonialism. “The global politics of colonialism that prevailed during the time ensured that India was not duly recognised for the significant sacrifices we made” in the Second World War, in which more than 25 lakh Indian soldiers fought alongside the Allied Powers and over 87,000 Indian soldiers made the supreme sacrifice.