# Jaishankar calls Pakistan terrorist country at UNGA press briefing

2026-09-25T20:12:15+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday sharply rebuked a Pakistani journalist at the United Nations headquarters in New York. When the journalist asked, "When will your government stop sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan?" Jaishankar replied, "A terrorist country is asking me that question. Come on." India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni, backed the minister, telling the journalist, "You have heard your reply. You have heard your response, loud and clear." The exchange occurred during a press briefing on the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, co-founded by India and Liberia. The briefing was intended for remarks only before the Pakistani journalist interrupted. A day earlier, an Indian journalist had asked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as he entered the UN building, "When will you stop harbouring terrorists?" Jaishankar also used the UNGA platform to call for reform of the UN Security Council, saying those opposing reform are "using" the UN and do not care about it.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources report the same exchange with near-identical quotes and sequence, giving the story a uniform straight-news treatment. None questions or defends either side's framing. The coverage mirrors the official Indian position that Pakistan is a terrorist country and that the journalist's interruption was out of order. The only contextual addition across sources is Jaishankar's separate call for UN reform, which ABP Live reports in detail. No source reports the Pakistani journalist's name or any Pakistani official response, so the story remains one-sided in practice. India's elections for a non-permanent Security Council seat for 2028-29 are scheduled for June 2027.

## Coverage

- english.mathrubhumi.com (neutral report) <https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/india/s-jaishankar-pakistani-reporter-unga-2026-r9it9q5d>
  Straight news report, no commentary on the exchange
- news.abplive.com (neutral report) <https://news.abplive.com/news/a-terrorist-country-is-asking-me-that-question-jaishankar-s-sharp-reply-to-pakistani-journalist-1868323>
  Reports the incident and Jaishankar's UN reform remarks without slant
- siasat.com (neutral report) <https://www.siasat.com/jaishankar-slams-pakistan-journalist-for-question-on-terrorism-3548341/>
  Wire copy style, no editorial comment

Tags: Harish Parvathaneni, Pakistan, S Jaishankar, UN Security Council reform, UNGA
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