Who is Petal Gahlot, the Indian diplomat who gave a befitting reply to Pakistan at the United Nations

Petal Gahlot (Image via NDTV)

India strongly countered Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s claim of “victory” in Operation Sindoor on Saturday (27th September), telling the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that the ground reality was far from what he described. Exercising India’s right of reply, Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said the images of damaged Pakistani airbases during Operation Sindoor told a very different story.

She noted that the destruction of runways and military hangars was proof that Pakistan’s military had, in fact, suffered heavy losses.

All you need to know about Petal Gahlot

Petal Gahlot has been First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN since July 2023. She was an undersecretary at the Ministry of External Affairs before that, working with the European West Division from 2020 to 2023. She was also posted at the Indian mission in Paris and the consulate in San Francisco during her tenure.

An alumna of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, Gahlot studied political science, sociology, and French literature at the undergraduate level. She later earned a master’s in political science and government from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi. She also pursued a second master’s degree in language interpretation and translation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, USA.

Besides her career in diplomacy, Gahlot is also famous for her passion for music. She frequently posts videos of her playing the guitar on social media, and the videos of her singing “Bella Ciao” and “Lost On You” have been widely trending online. 

India’s pointed response at UNGA

In her reply at the UN, Gahlot reminded the world that during Operation Sindoor, Pakistan’s military had requested a halt to hostilities after its airbases were badly damaged by Indian strikes. 

“The intervening event was the destruction caused to multiple Pakistani air bases 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 Prime Minister claimed, Pakistan is welcome to enjoy it,” she said.

Gahlot further underlined that “till 9th May, Pakistan was threatening more attacks on India. But on 10th May, its military pleaded with us directly for a cessation to the fighting,” She stressed that the evidence of this turnaround was clear for all to see.

She additionally pointed out that Pakistan targeted innocent civilians through the Pahalgam terror attack, and how India was well within its rights to defend itself against the perpetrators.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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