India Slams Pakistan at UN for ‘Justifying Terrorism’ Under the Guise of Freedom Struggle

United Nations: India issued a strong rebuke to Pakistan at the United Nations after Islamabad attempted to portray cross-border terrorism as a “freedom struggle.” The Indian delegation denounced Pakistan’s remarks as “doublespeak and hypocrisy,” asserting that the country continues to remain the “epicentre of global terrorism.”

Speaking during a session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, Pakistan’s representative, Muhammad Jawad Ajmal, claimed that those attacking India were “freedom fighters” exercising their “legitimate right to resist foreign occupation.”

Responding sharply, Raghoo Puri, India’s First Secretary at the UN, dismissed the argument, stating:

“Terrorism is among the gravest of offences that fundamentally violates the core of humanity. It embodies the worst forms of bigotry, violence, intolerance, and fear — and terrorists are the worst of the worst in humankind.”

Puri said Pakistan’s comments once again exposed its duplicity on the issue of terrorism, adding:

“Pakistan is a well-known epicentre of terrorism, with well-documented links to numerous global terror attacks targeting innocent civilians.”

He further rejected Islamabad’s misinterpretation of international law, pointing out that UN conventions and resolutions — including those frequently cited by Pakistan — explicitly state that no act of terror can ever be justified on political, religious, or ideological grounds.

Ajmal’s remarks came during an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism. The exchange highlighted a long-standing deadlock in negotiations on India’s proposed Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) — a framework that has been repeatedly stalled by Pakistan and a few other nations insisting on classifying terrorists as “freedom fighters.”

Responding to Pakistan’s claim that global counterterrorism measures unfairly target a particular religion, Puri said such assertions were “futile attempts to use Islamophobia as a shield to conceal its own atrocities.”

Concluding his statement, the Indian envoy emphasized:

“Terrorism remains the gravest threat to humanity, and its enablers and abettors — like Pakistan — are among the worst violators of human rights.”