New York: External Affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday gave a befitting reply to a Pakistani reporter who asked him a question on terrorism during a press briefing in New York.
The exchange took place when Jaishankar and Liberia’s Foreign minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti were addressing the media on the sidelines of the 81st session of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The briefing was focused on the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers.
Towards the end, a Pakistani reporter tried to throw a ‘googly’ at Jaishankar by raising a question on terrorism.
Jaishankar responded sharply, referring to Pakistan as a ‘terrorist country’.
“A terrorist country is asking me that question… Come on,” Jaishankar replied with a smile, before getting up and leaving the hall.
#WATCH | 81st UNGA Session | “A terrorist country is asking me that question,” says EAM Dr S Jaishankar in response to a Pakistani’s attempt at heckling EAM with a terrorism ‘question’ pic.twitter.com/wIfu9OUhfO
— ANI (@ANI) September 25, 2026
Jaishankar is in New York as part of the Indian delegation for the UN General Assembly’s High-Level Week. Scheduled to address the High-Level Session on Saturday, he has held several bilateral and plurilateral meetings.
India has repeatedly asked Pakistan to take “credible action” against cross-border terrorism. Following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, in which 26 civilians were killed, several international bodies and human rights organisations condemned the deadly attack.
This is not the first time Jaishankar responded sharply to questions from Pakistani journalists. A Pakistani journalist had earlier asked him how long South Asia will 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,” Jaishankar replied.
‘No justification for attacks on civilian shipping’
India’s senior minister said attacks on commercial shipping and mariners “are no longer exceptional occurrences”, mentioning 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,” Jaishankar stated.
