JAMMU: Exposing Pakistan’s habit of speaking with a forked tongue and indulging in doublespeak on terrorism, India has called out Islamabad’s efforts to gloss over its state support for terror. The worst example of this attempt at creating a false narrative was Pakistan announcing a Rs 70 lakh reward for Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. The Indian delegate at UN emphasised that the world has not forgotten 9/11 (WTC attacks), 26/11 (Mumbai terror attack of 2008) and Pahalgam attacks (Baisaran meadows on April 22, 2025).
Raghoo Puri, the Indian delegate at the UN, on Wednesday exercised its Right of Reply in response to the Pakistan representative’s statement in the Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly on the Agenda Item: Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism. Puri tore the Pakistan arguments given at the UN to shreds exposing their duplicity.
“Pakistan speaks of combating terrorism while seeking to obscure the very question that this committee must confront: What happens when terrorists are financed, facilitated, trained, sheltered, or supported from the territory of a state?” First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Raghoo Puri said.
He said India has been consistent on this question, underscoring that terrorism cannot be defeated by declarations and instead requires action against its perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors.
Falsehoods galore in phony, fake claims
“For years, Pakistan has presented itself as a frontline state in combating terrorism and as a victim while masking the fact that the Frankensteins the Pakistani state has created and lost control over have moved from wreaking havoc in neighbouring countries to doing the same in Pakistan,” Puri said.
It needs to be mentioned here that JeM chief Masood Azhar founded this group on Pakistani soil in early 2000 and at one time it was considered a pioneer in suicide bombings that happened in Jammu & Kashmir. The group received patronage from the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the military intelligence wing of the Pakistan Army.
Calling out Pakistan’s doublespeak on terrorism, Puri said the country “glosses over its state support for terrorism by announcing enhanced rewards for apprehending UN-listed head of Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist and mastermind of several attacks against my country, Masood Azhar.” He said the world is aware of Pakistan’s financial support to terrorism.
Patronising Jaish e Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba
This was a reference to how groups like JeM and Lashkar e Toiba (LeT) of Hafiz Saeed openly solicit donations and raise funds in Pakistan’s cities and rural areas. These groups also indulge in hate speeches against Hindus, Christians and Ahmediyas.
“Yet, we also remember that just a few months ago, Pakistani representatives used this forum to call the Jaish-e-Mohammed a defunct organisation. The world has seen the script play earlier, and we are clear-eyed that this time also it is going to be no different,” he said.
Puri said that when the media can reach Azhar and get confirmation from him about the success of Operation Sindoor, “surely the Pakistani state knows his whereabouts”. Some close relatives of Masood Azhar had reportedly died in this military operation and the funeral prayers, attended by senior Pakistani Army officers, were led by persons considered close to Masood Azhar.
Operation Sindoor to avenge TRF misdeed
In May 2025 (last year), India had launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir (POJK). This operation was launched in retaliation for the dastardly April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir.
This attack was carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed. Two dozen of killed people were male Hindus who were killed after asking them their religion.
Earlier this month, India had dismissed as “gimmicks” Pakistan’s fresh announcement of a bounty of Rs 70 lakh on Azhar, demanding that Islamabad take “concrete action” to combat terrorism. Incidentally, this amount is too small and insignificant in relation to multiple horrendous crimes Azhar has been responsible for.
India has for years accused Pakistan of sheltering Azhar, while Pakistan has maintained that he fled to Afghanistan – a claim rejected by Afghanistan’s Taliban government. For the last few years, Islamabad has claimed that the JeM founder has been operating from Afghanistan.
Taliban term Pakistani claims as false
The Taliban regime in Kabul has, however, dismissed Pakistan’s repeated claims, with a senior Afghan Foreign Ministry official saying Masood Azhar is not being sheltered in the country. Islamabad’s fresh announcement on the reward for information on Azhar came as it faces pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to crack down on terror groups and their leadership.
A fortnight later, the FATF is going to hold its plenary session and Pakistan’s record is going to come under intense scrutiny at that time.
The Paris-based global watchdog is set to review Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts at its upcoming plenary. Pakistan was placed under the FATF grey list between 2018 and 2022 for its systemic deficiencies in anti-money laundering and its failure to counter-terror financing.
Indian delegate Raghoo Puri also recalled a recent statement by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif regarding terrorism her state faced. She had said: “The unfortunate thing is that the threat [Punjab] faces comes less from my neighbouring countries and more from my neighbouring provinces.”
Exposing this “dark secret”, Puri said, “You cannot run with the hares and hunt with the hounds. Reality never works like that.”
Victims of terrorism denied justice wilfully
“When terrorist groups are allowed to operate under state political power, international commitments become meaningless and when perpetrators are provided safe havens, the victims of terrorism are denied justice,” he said.
“The world has not forgotten 9/11 and where its perpetrators, including Osama bin Laden, were caught. The world has not forgotten 26/11. The world has not forgotten Pahalgam,” Puri said, adding that the list, “unfortunately”, is painfully long.
“The victims in Pahalgam were not asked about their political orientation, they were asked about their religion. It is therefore deeply ironic that Pakistan speaks of combating religious hatred while allowing the conditions that enable it to persist and thrive, especially by fomenting cross-border terrorism,” he said.
“Pakistan continues with its narrative building, misinformation, and disinformation. If bombed-out airfields and cratered runways look like victory to Pakistan, they are of course welcome to enjoy it,” Puri said.
“Any regime against terrorism to be effective must do two things: assign responsibility and ensure accountability. India will defend its people, and continued terrorism against India will have consequences,” he added.
Circular economy of words, false narratives
In another Right of Reply, Puri said India rejected Pakistan’s “circular economy” of words and narratives.
“If this much effort had actually been made in countering terrorism rather than narrative building, misinformation, and disinformation, the world would have been a better place. But nothing more can be expected from a Form 47 government,” he said, referring to a term used to describe allegations of rigging and manipulation in Pakistan’s 2024 general elections.
This was one of the most subtle digs at Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who lacks electoral legitimacy and owes his position to heavy rigging in these elections under directions from the security apparatus.
In the 2024 Pakistan general elections, there were widespread allegations of vote manipulation and delays in announcing results. Pakistan’s Army favoured Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Simultaneously, its efforts were aimed at keeping Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan out of the electoral contest.
Sharif a byproduct of rigged elections
The allegations focussing on Form 45 and Form 47 were meant to expose the Pakistan Army as also Shehbaz Sharif. Form 45 is the electoral data collated at booths. Form 47 is meant for declaration of the result later. The opposition parties have alleged that the results as per Form 45 were falsified and wrong declarations were made using Form 47.
As such, Form 47 government is a strong dig at the Sharif brothers, the Pakistan Army and its heavily rigged 2024 general elections. Form 47 has thus become a sort of slang in Pakistan now implying dishonesty and falsehoods.
India had responded to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s holier than thou speech at the UN General Assmbly under the Right of Reply last month also. Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, has then criticised Pakistan over issues including terrorism, religious intolerance, democratic rights and Kashmir.
