A sharp exchange took place between India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and a Pakistani journalist in New York, after the journalist attempted to raise a question related to terrorism during a media briefing. Responding firmly, Jaishankar said, “A terrorist nation is asking me this question.” Jaishankar is currently in New York to attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he took part in a media interaction alongside Liberia’s Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti. The briefing was convened to discuss the safety of ships and maritime crew.
At the outset of the interaction, it had been announced that questions from journalists would not be entertained. However, towards the end of the briefing, a Pakistani journalist interjected and sought to pose a question on terrorism. Jaishankar responded immediately, describing Pakistan as a terrorist nation in his reply. He travelled to New York as part of the Indian delegation for the UN General Assembly sessions and is scheduled to address a key meeting on Saturday. He has already held a series of bilateral meetings with leaders of several countries on the sidelines of the summit.
India has for long alleged that certain terrorist organisations operating from Pakistani soil receive support from the country, and has repeatedly called on Islamabad to take stringent action to curb cross-border terrorism. The issue comes against the backdrop of the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, in which 26 civilians were killed. In response, the Indian government stated that it undertook military action as part of its right to self-defence, subsequently launching “Operation Sindoor,” targeting terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The government maintained that the action was aimed exclusively at terrorist organisations and their infrastructure, adding that the Pahalgam attack had drawn condemnation from several countries at the international level as well.