In a sharp and strongly-worded intervention at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India accused Pakistan of persistently using terrorism as an instrument of statecraft and warned that such behaviour cannot be accepted as normal. India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish delivered a pointed rebuttal after Pakistan's envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad brought up Operation Sindoor, Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty during a debate on international rule of law.
India rejects Pakistan's 'false and self-serving' narrative
Harish said Pakistan's representative had "advanced a false and self-serving account" of Operation Sindoor. He emphasised that the operation was a direct response to the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. He reminded the Council that the UNSC itself had called for the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of the attack to be brought to justice, adding that India acted precisely in that spirit.
He reiterated that "terrorism can never be normalised as Pakistan wishes to do" and that "it is not normal to tolerate Pakistan’s continued use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy." Harish stressed that India would take all necessary measures to safeguard its citizens.
'Operation Sindoor was measured and responsible'
The Indian envoy stressed that Operation Sindoor was a calibrated and non-escalatory mission aimed only at dismantling terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). He pointed out that Pakistan's aggressive posture before May 10 shifted once its military directly contacted Indian forces seeking a halt to hostilities. Harish noted that images of damaged Pakistani airbases, destroyed runways and burnt hangars are publicly available.
'Pakistan cannot lecture on J-K
Responding to Pakistan's remarks on Kashmir, Harish firmly stated that Pakistan has no standing to comment on matters internal to India. He reiterated that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir "has been, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India."
Indus Waters Treaty put in abeyance
On the Indus Waters Treaty, Harish said India entered the agreement 65 years ago with goodwill, but Pakistan repeatedly violated its spirit by waging wars and sponsoring thousands of terror attacks. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack, India announced that the treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan credibly and irreversibly ends cross-border terrorism.
India flags Pakistan's erosion of rule of law
India also urged Pakistan to introspect on its internal governance, pointing to what it described as a military-driven constitutional coup under the 27th Amendment, which grants lifelong immunity to Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces.
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