[Watch] Actions Will Have Consequences: Jaishankar’s Strong Remark Against Pakistan In UN General Assembly

New York: Stating that Pakistan’s GDP can only be measured in terms of “radicalization” and its exports of “terrorism”, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said the neighbouring country’s cross-border terrorism policy will “never succeed.” He also warned that “actions will certainly have consequences”. He made these statements at the 79^th UN General Assembly.

“Terrorism is antithetical to everything that the world stands for. All its forms and manifestations must be resolutely opposed. The sanctioning of global terrorists by the United Nations should also not be impeded for political reasons,” he said, while addressing the assembly.

“Many countries get left behind due to circumstances beyond their control. But some make conscious choices with disastrous consequences. A premier example is our neighbour, Pakistan. Unfortunately, their misdeeds affect others as well, especially the neighbourhood,” he said, while making a direct attack on Pakistan.

‘Can’t blame the world, it’s only Karma’

Without naming the country, he also said the ‘ills’ Pakistan ‘sought to visit on others are now consuming its own society’. He also stressed that vacating PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) can only resolve long standing problems between India and Pakistan. “We see the ills it (Pakistan) sought to visit on others consume its own society. It can’t blame the world. This is only karma,” he added.

In his speech, the minister made it clear that each action of Pakistan would elicit a response from India. His response came after India asked for modification of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which has been impacted by persistent cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. It undermined full utilization of India’s water rights. Pakistan was yet to reply to the Indian notice sent last month.

After the minister’s direct attack on Pakistan, it seemed that the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was hit by a double whammy from a junior to top Indian diplomat. Political analysts said this happened as Islamabad was using multi-lateral platforms to put its points across in an escalatory mode. But, India was previously maintaining constraints in its response.

With this speech, Jaishankar has defined the bottom line ahead of his expected visit to Pakistan next month for the SCO summit. The SCO Heads of Government summit will take place in Islamabad on October 15-16.

‘We heard some bizarre assertions from it….’

“A dysfunctional nation coveting the lands of others must be exposed and must be countered. We heard some bizarre assertions from it at this forum yesterday,” he said as he referred to Sharif’s reference to the abrogation of Article 370 in his UN speech.

Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif had hit out at India by trying to link Gaza with Kashmir.

Without naming China, Jaishankar said that the sanctioning of global terrorists by the United Nations should also “not be impeded for political reasons.” This was an oblique reference to Beijing’s blocking of listing Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN.