India slams Pakistan PM’s UNGA speech, calls it ‘absurd theatrics’

The Indian response came from Petal Gahlot, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, on Friday after Shehbaz, in his address at the 80th session of the UNGA, credited US President Donald Trump with averting a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and also claimed his country's "victory" over India.

Using the right to reply, Gahlot said, “This assembly witnessed absurd theatrics in the morning from the Pakistan PM, who once again glorified terrorism that is so central to their foreign policy.”

Gahlot reminded how during Operation Sindoor multiple Pakistani airbases were damaged by Indian forces. “The pictures of that damage are, of course, publicly accessible. If destroyed runways and burnt-out hangars look like victory, as the PM (Shehbaz) claimed, Pakistan is welcome to enjoy it,” Gahlot said.

The Indian diplomat rejected Shebaz’s version of the May 7-10 conflict, saying he advanced a "bizarre account" of the recent clash with India.

“Till May 9, Pakistan was threatening more attacks on India. But on May 10 (after the airstrikes), its military pleaded with us directly for a cessation to the fighting,” she said.

The Indian diplomat reaffirmed India’s longstanding position, saying all outstanding issues with Pakistan must be resolved bilaterally, leaving “no room for any third party”.

“India and Pakistan have long agreed that any outstanding issue between them will be addressed bilaterally. There is no room for any third party in this regard. This is our longstanding national position,” she added.

Gahlot accused Islamabad of shielding terrorists and peddling “ludicrous narratives” to obscure its role as a hub of terrorism. The Indian envoy further pointed to Pakistan’s actions at the UN Security Council on April 25, when it blocked efforts to hold The Resistance Front, a Pakistan-backed militant group, responsible for the April 22 massacre of 26 persons in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Highlighting Pakistan’s history of duplicity, Gahlot recalled its decade-long sheltering of Osama bin Laden while presenting itself as a partner in the global war on terror. The Indian diplomat reminded how senior Pakistani military and civilian officials publicly paid homage to terrorists killed by India at the Bahawalpur and Muridke terror complexes during Operation Sindoor.

Gahlot questioned the sincerity of Shehbaz's call for peace, slamming Pakistan’s “hate, bigotry and intolerance”. In his address, the Pakistan PM had said Islamabad was ready for a “composite, comprehensive and result-oriented” dialogue with India on all outstanding issues while criticising New Delhi over the situation in Kashmir.