India blasts Pakistan at UN over deadly Pahalgam terror attack, calls for global action

In a powerful address at the United Nations, India strongly raised the recent Pahalgam terror attack, holding Pakistan responsible for sponsoring cross-border terrorism and destabilising the region. The deadly assault, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians — mostly tourists — marked Kashmir’s worst terror attack since the 2019 Pulwama tragedy.

Speaking at the launch of the Victims of Terrorism Association Network in New York, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Yojna Patel, unequivocally condemned terrorism "in all its forms." Without directly naming Pakistan, Patel denounced its delegation for spreading propaganda and making baseless accusations against India.

Highlighting India's position as a "victim of cross-border terrorism," Patel pointed to an "open confession" by Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, who recently admitted in a televised interview that Pakistan has a history of supporting, training, and funding terrorist groups.

"The entire world has heard Pakistan's Defence Minister admitting Pakistan’s long-standing role in nurturing terrorism," Patel stated, exercising India's Right of Reply. She said this confession laid bare Pakistan’s identity as a "rogue state" that fuels global terrorism and regional instability.

Patel urged the international community to abandon complacency, stressing, "The world can no longer turn a blind eye."

The UN Security Council had earlier condemned the Pahalgam attack in the "strongest terms," demanding that the perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors be swiftly brought to justice. The 15-member Council reaffirmed that all states must actively cooperate, as per international law and existing UN resolutions, to ensure accountability.

The gruesome attack occurred on April 22 at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, where armed militants opened fire on a group of unarmed tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), a known proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility.

In retaliation, India rolled out a series of stringent diplomatic and security responses: it suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, ceased overland trade through the Integrated Check Post at Attari, and halted the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme for Pakistani nationals, ordering those present in India to exit the country within 40 hours.