Some never learn from their failures and Pakistan is one such entity that thinks that by brazenly repeating a lie year after year it can give its incredulous Kashmir charade a semblance of legitimacy. Furthermore, by making an unending string of palpably false allegations regarding Kashmir related issues it rightly invites New Delhi’s ridicule, but having become thick skinned, it doesn’t seem to bother about regularly being humiliated at the annual UN General Assembly [UNGA] meet.

So, the 80th UNGA meet was expectedly no different.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivered a speech that was met with a forceful rebuttal from India. Laden with provocative rhetoric and contentious claims aimed to castigate India over the May 2025 military confrontation, commonly referred to as Operation Sindoor Sharif’s address, it was a comic and hallucinatory account of unsubstantiated claims gleaned from dubious social media accounts.

Sharif’s exposition was so feeble that India’s First Secretary Petal Gahlot had no difficulty at all in demolishing the same with her hard hitting and incisive retort that cleared the air and left no room for ambiguity.

A Tapestry of Allegations

Prime Minister Sharif’s speech was a crudely sewn tapestry of hollow rhetoric- wild allegations and contrived historical grievances with frantic calls for international intervention. He accused India of “unprovoked aggression” during Operation Sindoor, concealing the fact that the Indian armed forces had initially only struck terrorist infrastructure and it was the Pakistan army that enlarged the scale of the conflict by targeting defence installations and civilians.

Sharif neither explained why senior Pakistan army officers participated in the funeral ceremony of terrorists killed in the Indian strike, nor assigned any reasons for holding military funerals for the deceased terrorists. Instead he unsuccessfully tried to paint a picture of a Pakistan standing resilient against an overwhelming adversary, emphasising the nation’s military prowess and the so-called “victory” achieved during the conflict.

One of his most incredible assertions was the claim of Pakistan having downed seven Indian fighter jets and in the absence of any independent verifications and evidence to support this allegation the same was expectedly met with skepticism. Sharif’s rhetoric also included references to the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), and his declaration that India’s legitimate actions in the region were tantamount to “acts of war,” smacked of belligerence- an inappropriate utterance for a UN event.

Unmasking Lies

While exercising India’s “right of reply,” Gahlot convincingly dismantled Sharif’s web of lies with undisputed facts. She began by addressing the alleged downing of Indian jets by stating, “If destroyed runways and burnt-out hangars look like victory, as the Prime Minister claimed, Pakistan is welcome to enjoy it.” This pointed remark [supported by physical evidence in the form of satellite imagery and videos uploaded on social media by Pakistani citizens themselves] underscored the absurdity of equating extensive infrastructural damage with military success.
Furthermore, Gahlot highlighted Pakistan’s consistent support for terrorist organisations, stating, “Pakistan continues to glorify terrorism that is so central to their foreign policy.” This pointed accusation brought attention to Pakistan’s longstanding history of harboring and supporting armed groups that have perpetrated acts of terror across the region.
The IWT Controversy

Sharif’s invocation of the Indus Waters Treaty as a justification for considering military action was another focal point of India’s rebuttal. The treaty, established in 1960, governs the use of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan and New Delhi’s stance has consistently been that any dispute regarding the treaty should be resolved through bilateral dialogue and not through military means.

Emphasising New Delhi’s logical stance on IWT, Gahlot reiterated India’s commitment to the treaty and its preference for peaceful resolution of any disagreements. She further criticised Pakistan’s attempts to internationalise the issue, labeling such efforts as attempts to divert attention from its own internal challenges.

Kashmir Narrative

That Sharif would raise the Kashmir issue was expected and he didn’t disappoint. However, with nothing substantial to speak about on this issue he chose to rake up Islamabad’s routine complaint of human rights violations in this region. However, with Gahlot reaffirming that “Kashmir is an integral part of India,” it became clear that any reference to it was tantamount to meddling in its internal affairs.

Furthermore by citing Pakistan’s own abysmal record on human rights and its support for groups that have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United Nations, she exposed the irony of Pakistan’s stance.

International Reactions and the Broader Implications

The tone and tenor of Sharif’s speech and India’s brusque rebuttal leave no room for doubt that any normalisation of Indo-Pak relations is unlikely in the foreseeable future. This verbal face off has also drawn reactions from the international community with a majority of observers commenting on the stark contrast between Pakistan’s provocative assertions vis a vis India’s measured and fact-based response.

While India as a country is doing well and progressing at an impressive pace, Pakistan is unfortunately sinking deeper into the morass of political and financial instability. The venom against India spewed by Sharif through his address at UNGA has obviously been scripted by the Pakistan army which is still smarting under the severe punishment it received during Operation Sindoor.

Accordingly, while Sharif may have scored some brownie points back home and pleased the Pakistan army by talking tough, but taking a position that leaves no window for reconciliation will have serious repercussions for Islamabad. While India has the financial capacity to upgrade its military inventory significantly to counter the envisaged threat, for Pakistan to match this capability will put an immense strain on its fragile economy that is struggling to keep afloat by regular infusion of capital acquired through foreign loans.

Conclusion

The exchange at the UNGA serves as a microcosm of the broader India-Pakistan relationship: a delicate balance between dialogue and discord, cooperation and confrontation. While Sharif’s bellicosity impressed no one as Pakistan lacks the means to convert its words into action and as such relies on international support, India’s strong response reaffirmed its independent standing within the global community.

As the dust settles on this diplomatic confrontation, the world watches closely. New Delhi is in no hurry to talk with Islamabad and Pakistan doesn’t seem to be keen on mending fences either. To add to this, Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir has played to the gallery by resurrecting the ‘Two Nation Theory’ further fuelling anti-India sentiments amongst his people and thus creating a dangerously volatile situation.

One only hopes that good sense prevails and Pakistan’s newly promoted Field Marshal doesn’t commit the blunder of initiating any misadventure by his military or non-state actors.

The author is Editor, Brighter Kashmir, author, TV commentator, political analyst and columnist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author.