On Sunday (28th September), Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tore into Pakistan during his address at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
“While asserting our rights, we must also firmly face up to threats. Countering terrorism is a particular priority because it synthesises bigotry, violence, intolerance and fear. India has confronted this challenge since independence, having a neighbour that is an epicentre of global terrorism,” he lashed out at Pakistan without taking names.
During his address, S Jaishankar pointed out, “For decades now, major international terrorist attacks are traced back to that one country. UN’s designated lists of terrorists are replete with its nationals.”
“The most recent example of cross-border barbarism was the murder of innocent tourists in Pahalgam in April this year. India exercised its right to defend its people against terrorism and brought its organizers and perpetrators to justice,” he added.
The External Affairs Minister cautioned, “Because terrorism is a shared threat, it is essential that there is much deeper international cooperation. When nations openly declare terrorism a state policy, when terror hubs operate on an industrial scale, when terrorists are publicly glorified, then such actions must be unequivocally condemned.”
“The financing of terrorism must be choked, even as prominent terrorists are sanctioned. Relentless pressure must be applied on the entire terrorism ecosystem. Those who condone nations that sponsor terror will find that it comes back to bite them,” he further warned.
Veiled swipe at US, China
During his address at the UNGA, S Jaishankar also hit out at the United States and China over arbitrary tariff changes, technology restrictions and coercive supply-chain practices.
“As the most populous nation, as a civilizational state, as a rapidly growing major economy, we are confident about who we are, and what we will be. Bharat will always maintain its freedom of choice. And will always be a voice of the Global South,” he stated.
S Jaishankar further emphasised, “Better-off societies insulated themselves by having the first call. The resource-stressed ones scrambled to survive, only to hear sanctimonious lectures thereafter. When it came to trade, non-market practices gamed rules and regimes.”
“The resulting concentration exposed the world to leveraging. On top of that, we now see tariff volatility and uncertain market access. As a result, de-risking is a growing compulsion; whether from limited sources of supply or over-dependence on a particular market,” he concluded.
