India came down heavily on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), accusing Islamabad of glorifying terrorism and misrepresenting facts.
India’s sharp rebuke came after Sharif, in his address to the General Debate of the 80th session of the UNGA, said the people of Pakistan stand with the people of Kashmir and that “Kashmir will gain its fundamental right to self-determination through an impartial plebiscite under the auspices" of the UN.
Terming the Pakistan PM’s remarks “absurd theatrics”, first secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Petal Gahlot said, “... this assembly witnessed absurd theatrics in the morning from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who once again glorified terrorism that is so central to their foreign policy. However, no degree of drama and no level of lies can conceal the facts.”
Gahlot went on to refer to the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s Operation Sindoor in response to it, and how Pakistan shielded The Resistance Front, “a Pakistani-sponsored terror outfit”, at the UN Security Council on April 25.
“A picture speaks a thousand words, and we saw many pictures of terrorists slain in Bahawalpur and Muridke terror complexes by Indian forces during Operation Sindoor. When senior Pakistani military and civilian officials publicly glorify and pay homage to such notorious terrorists, can there be any doubt about the proclivities of this regime?”
Gahlot added that Pakistan had "the tradition of deploying and exporting terrorism". "Let us recall that it sheltered Osama bin Laden for a decade, even while pretending to partner in the war against terrorism. Its ministers have just recently acknowledged that they have been operating terrorist camps for decades. It should come as no surprise that once again this duplicity continues, this time at the level of its Prime Minister.”
Who is Petal Gahlot?
Gahlot’s diplomatic journey began when she joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 2015, according to shethepeople.tv. She has served as an under secretary in the MEA’s European West Division, working at the Indian Mission/Consulate in Paris and San Francisco.
She obtained a degree in Political Science from St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, and a master's degree in the same subject from Lady Shri Ram College at Delhi University.
A self-proclaimed linguaphile and an accomplished guitar player, Gahlot’s cover of the iconic Italian song "Bella Ciao", garnered much attention on X.
Pakistan ready for ‘composite, comprehensive and result-oriented’ dialogue with India: Sharif
Earlier, criticising New Delhi over the situation in Kashmir, Pakistan PM Sharif on Friday said the country was ready for a "composite, comprehensive and result-oriented" dialogue with India on all outstanding issues.
He also termed India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, “an act of war”.
Referring to Operation Sindoor – India’s military response to the Pahalgam terro attack, where terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were targeted – Sharif claimed that "seven of the Indian jets" were damaged during the four-day conflict in May.
He also praised US President Donald Trump, saying his "efforts for peace helped avert a war in South Asia". Interestingly, India has been consistently maintaining that the hostilities with Pakistan was paused following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of the two militaries.