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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered a powerful address at the UN General Assembly, firmly asserting India’s right to defend against terrorism and criticising state-sponsored terror, while also outlining India’s global leadership in multilateralism and sustainable development.
IMAGE: Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, on September 26, 2026. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Key Points
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserted India’s right to self-defence against terrorism at the UN General Assembly, criticising a ‘serial practitioner of terrorism’ without naming Pakistan.
- Jaishankar emphasised that friendship and goodwill cannot coexist with terrorism, calling for accountability for state-sponsored terrorism and a zero-tolerance approach.
- He highlighted India’s global responsibilities, including its role as a first responder in disasters and its contributions to the Global South and sustainable living initiatives like Mission LiFE.
- The Minister advocated for reformed multilateralism and discussed India’s vision for AI as a transformational driver for human empowerment and economic prosperity.
- The speech implicitly countered Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s earlier remarks at the UNGA regarding a ‘2025 conflict’ and Kashmir, which India has consistently denied.
India’s right to defend itself against terrorism will be exercised and friendship and goodwill cannot co-exist with the scourge, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, calling out Pakistan’s misrepresentation of facts in the United Nations General Assembly.
“Yesterday, a serial practitioner of terrorism misrepresented facts before this Assembly. Arguments were invoked to normalise terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences. That will not stand,” Jaishankar said, as he delivered India’s national statement at the General Debate at the high-level 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
“Our right to defend ourselves against terrorism will be exercised. Friendship and goodwill cannot co-exist with terrorism. And understandings premised on that will naturally be called into question. It is for the perpetrator of terrorism to mend its ways,” he said, without naming Pakistan and the UNGA address by its Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
India’s Firm Stance Against State-Sponsored Terrorism
Jaishankar said a persistent threat to peace has been the scourge of terrorism.
“That this could be state-sponsored, with cross-border purpose, makes it a direct affront to the global order. Governments indulging in such practices must be held accountable. There must be no dilution in our zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism. Its financial aspects, in particular, should be exposed and should be countered,” he said.
Countering Pakistan’s UNGA Narrative
A day earlier, Sharif used the UN General Assembly podium to credit US President Donald Trump for his ‘timely intervention’ in the 2025 conflict against India.
India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had killed 26 civilians.
New Delhi has consistently denied any third-party intervention.
Sharif also raised the issue of Kashmir as well as the Indus Waters Treaty, which India has said will be held in abeyance until Pakistan, a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border and all other forms of terrorism.
India’s Global Leadership And Contributions
Jaishankar expressed hope that at the conclusion of this year’s General Debate, participating delegations will leave with a greater commitment to peace, development and prosperity.
“This cannot be an imposition, or even a negotiation; it must be a mindset, it must be an outlook, it must be a belief. In the lawns outside this building, are recorded the powerful words of Mahatma Gandhi, and that should serve as an inspiration for these times, and those words are that there is no way to peace; peace is the way.”
He also emphasised the need for reformed multilateralism, saying the globe is ‘now well on our way, towards a multi-polar world’.
India also voiced appreciation for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ decade of service and dedication to the cause of multilateralism as head of the world organisation.
“India deeply values his many contributions, in particular, his personal support for Mission LiFE,” he said, referring to the ‘Mission Lifestyle for Environment’, an India-led ‘global mass movement’ to promote sustainable living.
Advancing Humanity Through Collaboration And AI
Jaishankar listed the efforts and measures undertaken by India towards contributions for the advancement of humanity.
Amid turbulent times, he highlighted India’s role as a first responder catering to the needs and requirements of nations impacted by natural disasters and conflicts.
India has consistently sent medical shipments to conflict zones, epidemic locations, and after natural disasters.
“As a first responder, we were there early, be it the Nepal flash floods or the Venezuela earthquake…Whether to meet food and medicine shortages, energy and fertiliser needs, or creating livelihoods, India has contributed continuously and will do so. Our capacity-building and experience-sharing programmes have made a real difference across the Global South, especially in Africa,” he said.
“Even as India progresses, we are conscious of our global responsibilities. We know that many of our experiences and achievements are replicable elsewhere. The deep solidarity of the Global South has always encouraged us to share what we have,” he said.
On AI, he said it ‘will be very much part of our partnership agenda, with the Global South’.
India hosted the AI Impact Summit this February, gathering together the best minds on that subject.
“We view AI as a transformational driver for human empowerment, economic prosperity and population-scale problem solving. We believe in the right of each nation to shape its ecosystem, with the development of its own models, and deployment strategies, consistent with its national goals and priorities.”
He said that in a globalised world, ‘we must continuously and vigorously promote international understanding. Economic rebalancing is well underway; the political one is also visible, and the third facet — cultural rebalancing — must now be taken forward’.
