External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar used India's address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly to strongly criticise Pakistan over terrorism while also raising concerns over attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers amid the ongoing conflict in the Gulf.
Without naming Pakistan, Jaishankar said a "serial practitioner of terrorism" had misrepresented facts before the UN General Assembly and attempted to normalise terrorism. He said India would continue to exercise its right to defend itself against terrorism.
"Arguments were invoked to normalise terrorism and claim immunity from its consequences. That will not stand," Jaishankar said during India's national statement at the General Debate.
He further said that friendship and goodwill could not coexist with terrorism and that governments engaging in state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism must be held accountable. India, he said, would maintain a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism, including its financing.
Jaishankar raises terrorism at UNGA
Jaishankar's remarks came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the UN General Assembly and spoke about the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty.
India has maintained that its actions against terrorism are a matter of self-defence. Jaishankar said the international community should not dilute its approach towards terrorism and called for its financial networks to be exposed and countered.
He also spoke about India's broader role in the Global South, highlighting the country's assistance during natural disasters and conflicts and its supply of food, medicines, energy and other essential support.
'Targeting of seafarers simply unacceptable'
In another major part of his UNGA address, Jaishankar raised concerns over attacks on commercial vessels and seafarers amid continuing hostilities in the Gulf.
"There have been attacks on commercial shipping and seafarers in the Gulf, and from the Red Sea to the Black Sea," he said, adding that the loss of Indian and other foreign seafarers' lives was "completely unacceptable."
India called on all parties involved in the conflict to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, protect civilians and ensure the uninterrupted movement of energy and commerce.
Jaishankar's comments came shortly after India and Liberia launched the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, along with 23 other partners. The initiative seeks to build international support against attacks on commercial shipping and maritime crews
The minister also referred to recent maritime incidents, including an attack on the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao in the Gulf of Oman, in which an Indian sailor was killed. He also mentioned the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia, which was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leaving an Indian crew member missing.
India warns against 'weaponisation of everything'
Jaishankar also warned that conflicts were increasingly affecting countries far removed from the actual theatres of war.
He described the trend as the "weaponisation of everything", arguing that competition was creating chokepoints in finance, market access, supply chains, technology, resources and connectivity.
He said the impact was particularly severe for the Global South, which is facing what he described as a "4F crisis" involving food, fuel, fertiliser and finance.
India also called for restraint and de-escalation in West Asia and reiterated its support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. On Ukraine, Jaishankar said India supported ongoing efforts aimed at bringing the conflict to an end.
India pushes for reform of global institutions
Jaishankar also stressed the need for reformed multilateralism, saying the world was moving towards a multipolar order.
He highlighted India's role as a first responder during conflicts and natural disasters and said New Delhi would continue sharing its experience and capabilities with countries across the Global South.
The minister's UNGA address therefore combined India's concerns over terrorism and maritime security with broader calls for restraint, international cooperation, economic stability and reforms to global institutions.
