Pakistan accuses India of backing militants at UN

Pakistan has accused India of supporting militant groups operating against the country and providing assistance to Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities. The allegations were made during discussions at the United Nations, where Pakistan also raised concerns over terrorism, human rights and regional security.

Speaking during a right of reply at the UN General Assembly, Pakistan’s representative Counsellor Muhammad Jawad Ajmal alleged that India was providing material and logistical assistance to the Taliban under the cover of humanitarian support. He claimed that New Delhi was using its engagement with Afghanistan to facilitate attacks against Pakistan.

Ajmal also accused India of supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) through proxies based in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan had repeatedly drawn international attention to what it described as India’s involvement in destabilising activities in the region.

He further criticised India over its policies in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, accusing New Delhi of human rights violations, promoting Islamophobia and pursuing demographic changes in the disputed territory. Pakistan maintained that such actions violated international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Ajmal also referred to the case of former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Pakistan says was involved in espionage and terrorism. He cited the case, along with allegations involving the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and an alleged plot targeting another Sikh figure in the United States, as examples of what Pakistan considers India’s extraterritorial activities.

He said Pakistan would continue to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security while remaining committed to peaceful dispute resolution and the UN Charter.

Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, separately addressed a General Assembly debate on international terrorism. He said terrorism originating from Afghanistan had become a serious security concern, along with militant threats in parts of West Africa, the Sahel and the Middle East.

Jadoon said Pakistan had suffered more than 100,000 deaths and economic losses exceeding $150 billion during its participation in international counterterrorism efforts. He claimed that more than 4,700 Pakistanis had been killed in terrorist attacks during the past three years.

According to Jadoon, Pakistan had carried out intelligence-based operations against militant infrastructure and safe havens along its western border. He said the operations were directed at militant groups and were conducted with efforts to prevent civilian casualties.

Jadoon called for stronger international measures against terrorism and urged countries to address militant financing, recruitment, safe havens and the use of emerging technologies. He also called for accountability for those supporting terrorist organisations.

Pakistan further argued that international counterterrorism policies should distinguish between terrorism and what it describes as legitimate struggles for self-determination. Jadoon said counterterrorism measures should not be used to justify violations of human rights or international law.

He also called for reforms to UN counterterrorism mechanisms, sanctions and listing procedures. Pakistan proposed a more comprehensive system to address emerging threats, including far-right extremism, violent nationalism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and other forms of extremist violence.

Jadoon also criticised what Pakistan sees as the use of terrorist organisations as proxies, extraterritorial killings, disinformation campaigns and other tools of state policy.

Addressing India’s military action against Pakistan in May 2025, Jadoon said Pakistan had responded under its claimed right to self-defence. He alleged that Indian strikes had caused civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure, while maintaining that Pakistan’s response focused on military targets.

He said a ceasefire brokered with US involvement later brought the fighting to an end.