Now Reading: Jaishankar asks Pakistani journalist: ‘A terrorist country asking me?’
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Jaishankar asks Pakistani journalist: ‘A terrorist country asking me?’
Jaishankar asks Pakistani journalist: ‘A terrorist country asking me?’
The Story in Brief
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday, 25 September, rebuffed a Pakistani journalist at the United Nations in New York who asked 'When will your government stop sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan?'
Jaishankar replied, 'A terrorist country is asking me that question. Come on.' India's UN envoy Harish Parvathaneni then told the journalist, 'You have heard your reply. You have heard your response, loud and clear.' The exchange happened at a press conference on the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers alongside Liberia's Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti. It came a day after an Indian journalist asked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif the same question as he entered the UN building.
Jaishankar is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly's high-level session on Saturday, 26 September.
Update, 30 September 2026: Thirteen new outlets report the same exchange, confirming Jaishankar's retort to the Pakistani journalist and Parvathaneni's intervention. Livemint and India Today add detailed background on the Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor and Jaishankar's remarks on maritime security. ABP Live adds that Jaishankar also called for UN reforms. All confirm the journalist's question was about India sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The coverage is uniform straight reporting. All 14 outlets lead with Jaishankar's retort 'A terrorist country is asking me that question' and report the same sequence: the Pakistani journalist's question, Parvathaneni's 'loud and clear' rejoinder, and the prior Indian journalist's question to Shehbaz Sharif. There is no divergence in framing, no outlet foregrounds a different detail, and no commentary or criticism of either side appears. The substantive difference is the contextual depth. Livemint and India Today provide the fullest background, including the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, while shorter reports (Times of India, Rediff, Siasat) stick to the exchange and its immediate antecedent. The uniform coverage reflects a wire-dominant news cycle, the analytical value lies in the consistent diplomatic messaging India projected at the UN. Jaishankar addresses the General Assembly on Saturday, 26 September.
Coverage: 14 sources, 14 neutral
Sources (14): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), indiatvnews.com (neutral report), freepressjournal.in (neutral report), indiatoday.in (neutral report), ndtv.com (neutral report), thefederal.com (neutral report), mathrubhumi.com (neutral report), abplive.com (neutral report), siasat.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report), businesstoday.in (neutral report), rediff.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) (neutral report), livemint.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 14 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
