External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a befitting reply to a Pakistani reporter’s attempt to heckle him at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session on Friday.
While holding a press conference with Liberia’s Sara Beysolow Nyanti on the sidelines of the UNGA session, a Pakistani reporter attempted to heckle Jaishankar with a terrorism “question".
“A terrorist country is asking me that question," Jaishankar replied, before departing.
Notably, India has consistently asked Pakistan to take “credible action" against cross-border terrorism, particularly after the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, in which 26 civilians were killed. Several international bodies and human rights organisations have condemned the terror attack.
The 36th UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee Monitoring report in July last year made reference to Lashkar-linked The Resistance Front’s (TRF) links to the Pahalgam terrorist attack.
This is not the first time Jaishankar has responded sharply to questions from Pakistani journalists. During an earlier interaction, a Pakistani journalist asked him how long South Asia would continue to face terrorism originating from places including New Delhi, Kabul and Pakistan.
“You are asking the wrong minister when you say how long will we do this. It is the ministers of Pakistan who will tell you how long Pakistan intends to practice terrorism," he replied.
Jaishankar made the remarks at the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, where he expressed concern over repeated attacks targeting commercial shipping and seafarers in West Asia.
The minister said attacks on commercial shipping and mariners “are no longer exceptional occurrences", citing incidents in the Gulf, Red Sea and Black Sea in recent months.
“We believe that there can be no justification for such violence and loss of life. Put simply, these attacks must stop. As a major source country for seafarers, India has joined hands with Liberia, which hosts the largest shipping registry," he added.
