India and Pakistan Trade Sharp Accusations at UN General Assembly Over Terrorism, Kashmir, and Indus Waters Treaty

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the 81st UN General Assembly, stating that any diversion of Pakistan's Indus waters share would be considered an act of war and calling for a UN-supervised plebiscite on Kashmir. India's First Secretary Petal Gahlot responded through a Right of Reply, invoking Osama bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad, characterizing Pakistan as military-dominated, and stating that continued terrorism by Pakistan would have consequences. The exchange reflects ongoing tensions between the two nations following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent Operation Sindoor.

Sharif characterised the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty as having no legal basis, and stated that any attempt to divert or obstruct Pakistan's allocated water flows would be treated as a hostile act. Sharif also called on New Delhi to hold no misconceptions about the situation, as the 1960 treaty had been put on hold by the neighbouring country in the wake of an attack in Pahalgam in April 2025 that claimed 26 lives. Gahlot drew on the 11 September attacks to question Pakistan's counterterrorism credentials, pointing out that Osama bin Laden had been discovered residing in Abbottabad, near the Pakistan Military Academy, and contended that the country maintained a public stance of opposing terrorism while reportedly acting otherwise in practice. Gahlot stated that the arrangement would remain in place for the foreseeable future. Sharif gave Trump credit for what he described as a timely diplomatic move that helped defuse the military tension between India and Pakistan the year before. India also responded to Sharif's remarks on democracy, human rights, and religious intolerance, with Gahlot arguing that a government erecting physical barriers around its own capital to restrict its own citizens had little standing to offer guidance on democratic values or human rights. In reply to Sharif's assertions about religious intolerance in India, she drew attention to Pakistan's blasphemy laws and its treatment of minority groups, noting that the global community held a clear view of conditions there and that no volume of principled language could alter that perception.

India and Pakistan Trade Sharp Accusations at UN General Assembly Over Terrorism, Kashmir, and Indus Waters Treaty

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India and Pakistan Trade Sharp Accusations at UN General Assembly Over Terrorism, Kashmir, and Indus Waters Treaty

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