At the 80th UN General Assembly, India once again unmasked Pakistan’s decades-old duplicity on terrorism. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s address was sharp, direct, and unambiguous-India has confronted terrorism since independence, and its neighbour remains the “epicentre of global terrorism”. For years, New Delhi has pointed to the same uncomfortable truth: major terror attacks, from Kashmir to Mumbai, bear the footprints of Pakistan-based groups, openly sheltered and sponsored by the Pakistani state apparatus.
The Pahalgam massacre became the latest chapter in this tragic saga. The perpetrators were quickly identified, and the responsibility was traced back to groups with well-established roots in Pakistan. India’s retaliation through Operation Sindoor was a significant escalation. It demonstrated New Delhi’s resolve and the growing consensus that words and dossiers alone cannot deter terrorism. The strikes crippled multiple Pakistani air bases, inflicted heavy losses on terror complexes in Bahawalpur and Muridke, and exposed once again the hollowness of Pakistan’s boasts.
Islamabad’s attempt to paint a picture of victory is farcical. The facts tell a different story: it was Pakistan’s own military that pleaded for a cessation of fighting after the destruction of its infrastructure. India was clear that the operation was suspended on its own terms, not because of third-party intervention. By insisting there is “no room for any third party” in the India-Pakistan equation, New Delhi reiterated its longstanding position-issues will be settled bilaterally, not at the behest of outside powers.
This pattern of lies and theatrics is not new. For decades, Pakistan has spoken of peace at global forums even as its army and intelligence agencies nurtured the very terror groups that destabilise the region. Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar, and countless other UN-designated terrorists have found not only refuge but also reverence on Pakistani soil. Funeral prayers for slain Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives attended by the Pakistan Army are only the latest proof of state complicity. No degree of denial or self-glorification can hide the fact that terrorism remains an instrument of Pakistan’s state policy. Pakistan continues to proudly display its hypocrisy. A nation that sheltered Osama bin Laden for years and continues to run terrorist camps lectures the UN about peace-a country whose ministers glorify militants lectures the world on tolerance. And a state whose economy is in shambles proclaims “victory” after massive losses. It is a bizarre theatre of denial that fools no one.
India’s counter-terror strategy has fundamentally changed since Uri in 2016. Surgical strikes marked the end of passive responses. Pulwama in 2019 was answered by the Balakot air strike deep inside Pakistani territory, shattering the myth of invulnerability. Pahalgam in 2025 invited Operation Sindoor-a full-fledged military response that left Pakistan’s military embarrassed, its air power degraded, and its propaganda machine spinning falsehoods at the UNGA. New Delhi’s message could not be clearer: every terror attack will now invite a precision strike. Beyond the battlefield, India has also shown its intent by temporarily suspending provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty and halting Chenab water flows. This was no mere technical action but a geopolitical signal – India is prepared to use all instruments of statecraft to defend its people.
India’s efforts to expose these falsehoods at the UN have found wide resonance. Terrorism is no longer a South Asian problem; it is a global scourge that has scarred almost every continent. The world knows the damage caused when states use terror as a tool of foreign policy. What India has done is to remind the international community that coddling such states or soft-pedalling their conduct will only embolden them further. The bottom line is stark: Pakistan must abandon its toxic policy of exporting terror, dismantle terror camps, and hand over wanted criminals. Unless the world unites against such duplicity, Pakistan will continue to spin its web of lies. But empty rhetoric at the UN will not change facts on the ground. India, for its part, has declared that it will not sit back. Any adventure, any terror attack, will be met with immediate and befitting retribution.
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