United Nations: India on Wednesday accused Pakistan of trying to hide its alleged support for terrorist groups through public statements and announcements, including a reward for information on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar.
Speaking in the UN General Assembly’s Sixth Committee, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Raghoo Puri said Pakistan could not claim to be fighting terrorism while allowing militant groups and their leaders to operate from its territory.
Puri said terrorism could not be defeated through statements alone. He called for action against terrorists, their organisers, financiers and those who provide them support or shelter, as reported by The New Indian Express.
India Questions Azhar Reward
Puri criticised Pakistan’s decision to announce a reward of 7 million Pakistani rupees for information leading to Azhar’s arrest or conviction. India has dismissed the move as a “gimmick” and accused Islamabad of trying to cover up its alleged state support for terrorism.
Pakistan has claimed that Azhar is hiding in Afghanistan. However, Afghanistan’s Taliban government has rejected the claim, with a senior Afghan official saying that the Jaish-e-Mohammed chief is not in the country.
Puri also questioned Pakistan’s claim that it did not know Azhar’s whereabouts. He said media reports had contacted Azhar and obtained his comments on India’s Operation Sindoor.
“If the media can reach him, surely the Pakistani state knows his whereabouts,” Puri said.
India launched Operation Sindoor in May 2025 following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed. India said the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Puri also referred to Pakistan’s earlier claim that the Jaish-e-Mohammed was no longer active. He said similar statements had been made before but had not stopped the group from remaining a security threat.
‘Reality Never Works Like That’
Puri said Pakistan had presented itself for years as both a victim of terrorism and a leading country in the fight against it. He alleged that groups once supported by the Pakistani state had now begun creating problems within Pakistan itself.
He cited a recent remark by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz that her province faced a greater threat from neighbouring Pakistani provinces than from other countries.
“You cannot run with the hares and hunt with the hounds. Reality never works like that,” Puri said.
He accused Pakistan of promoting misinformation and disinformation instead of taking genuine action against terrorism. He also mentioned the September 11 attacks, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the Pahalgam attack, saying the world had not forgotten them.
Puri warned that India would continue to defend its people and that continued terrorism against the country would have consequences. In a second Right of Reply, he described Pakistan’s response as a “circular economy” of words and narratives.
He also called Pakistan a “Form 47 government”, a term used by critics who allege irregularities in the country’s 2024 general elections.
