New York: Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif faced some uncomfortable questions by an Indian reporter both while entering and leaving the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday.
They were related to Pakistan’s continued support to terrorist organisations and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. On both occasions, Sharif declined to reply and walked away.
As Sharif arrived at the UN headquarters, news agency ANI confronted him with a direct question, “Prime Minister, when will you stop harbouring terrorists?” The Pakistani premier did not respond and continued into the premises.
He faced another question while leaving the UN headquarters later in the day. On being asked: “When will you prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed?”, he again refused to comment.
Saeed is designated a terrorist under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He is also wanted as an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case.
The LeT founder has also been designated a global terrorist by the United Nations Security Council. That makes the question relevant at the UNGA venue.
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also named Saeed as Accused No. 8 in its supplementary chargesheet in the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack case. The agency has alleged that Pakistan-based operatives of the banned LeT were involved in the conspiracy behind the attack.
Sharif faced the questions a day after India confronted Pakistan at the UN Human Rights Council, with Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi accusing Islamabad of focusing on territorial claims and terrorism instead of its domestic economic and humanitarian challenges.
Responding to Pakistan during a right of reply, Tyagi said, “Pakistan would better serve its people by focusing on development, rather than by coveting territory of others or exporting terror, because neither these nor its theatrics in the Council would help repay the loans its economy survives on”, as reported by News18.
Tyagi also referred to reports of civilian deaths, arrests and shortages of essential supplies in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, saying, “This Council was told last Friday of scores of civilians killed since June in the territory Pakistan occupies, of students arrested in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and of food and medicine held back. When those accounts were given, Pakistan’s answer was a point of order. If any delegation in this room meets every objective criterion for this Council’s scrutiny, it is Pakistan.”