India’s Blame Game at UNGA: Deflecting Attention from its Own Human Rights Record

At the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar raised the False Flag Pahalgam incident, which claimed 26 lives, and without presenting any evidence or official investigation, immediately blamed Pakistan, calling it the “epicenter of global terrorism.” This approach is not new. For years, India has consistently used international platforms to point fingers at external actors while avoiding scrutiny of its own domestic record. India demonizing Islamabad without presenting credible evidence or accepting Pakistan’s call for an impartial international investigation. This knee-jerk blame game exposes India’s persistent double standards on terrorism and human rights, revealing contradictions in its regional policies and selective engagement with militant groups. Ironically, while India accuses Pakistan of being the “epicenter of global terrorism,” Pakistan itself remains one of the most frequent victims of terrorism, facing near-daily attacks that claim innocent lives and destabilize its security landscape.

In 2025 alone, Pakistan has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents, with over 218 fatalities reported in the first quarter alone. Attacks by banned outfits like the Fitna al Khawarij (FAK) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) have intensified, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. For instance, on September 26–27, Pakistani security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Lakki Marwat, killing 17 terrorists belonging to the Indian-sponsored proxy group Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK). These militants were actively involved in attacks against civilians and law enforcement agencies, and large caches of weapons were recovered. Earlier in the year, on February 1, eighteen Frontier Corps personnel were martyred in a BLA ambush near Mangochar, Kalat District, and on February 28, a suicide bombing at Darul Uloom Haqqania in Akora Khattak claimed the life of Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani and six others. The hijacking of the Jaffar Express train in March, involving 440 passengers, was another chilling example of BLA’s operational reach, a group Pakistan has repeatedly linked to Indian funding and coordination. These incidents underscore the persistent threat Pakistan faces from foreign-backed militant outfits, despite its consistent efforts to dismantle them.

Pakistan has not remained silent. It has submitted multiple dossiers to the United Nations and other international forums detailing India’s involvement in sponsoring terrorism through proxies like BLA and FAK. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and DG ISPR Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry have publicly confirmed these submissions, which include intelligence, confessions, and operational maps. The arrest of Indian naval officer Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan, who confessed to espionage, sabotage and terrorism remains a cornerstone of Pakistan’s evidence against India’s covert destabilization efforts.

India’s domestic human rights record further erodes its credibility. In Kashmir, state-sponsored violence, arbitrary detentions, and suppression of dissent have become routine. The abrogation of Article 370 and the militarization of the region have led to widespread suffering among Kashmiris. Sikh communities continue to face discrimination and surveillance, with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots still unresolved. In Manipur and Nagaland, minority groups endure systemic neglect and state oppression. The recent ethnic violence in Manipur, which displaced thousands and claimed hundreds of lives, majority from the Christian Kuki Zu community, underscores India’s failure to protect its own citizens.

International scrutiny of India’s covert operations has intensified in recent years, with Canada leading the charge. In 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused Indian government agents of orchestrating the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, citing “credible allegations” backed by fool proof intelligence. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) launched a full investigation, and Canada expelled several Indian diplomats in response to what it described as a violation of its sovereignty and international law. The United States reportedly shared intelligence with Canada supporting these claims, while British lawmakers and Sikh organizations have raised alarms over Indian surveillance and intimidation tactics targeting diaspora communities. These revelations align with Pakistan’s long-standing assertions about India’s state sponsored terrorism.

India’s diplomatic outreach to the Afghan Taliban government, despite publicly refusing to recognize it, reveals a glaring contradiction. The reopening of its Kabul embassy and high-level meetings with Taliban officials, including Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s January 2025 visit, show strategic engagement with a regime designated as terrorist by many nations. This undermines India’s moral authority to accuse Pakistan of fostering militancy while itself engaging with extremist-linked regimes for geopolitical gain.

Pakistan’s consistent condemnation of terrorism and its efforts to dismantle militants’ networks reflect its commitment to peace. India’s politicized accusations, selective diplomacy, and refusal to engage in transparent investigations only fuel hostility. For South Asia to escape its cycle of violence and mistrust, regional actors and the international community must demand accountability based on facts, fairness, and transparency. The Pahalgam tragedy should be a catalyst for honest reckoning, not nationalist posturing. It is to be noted that Pakistan offered to form an independent inquiry committee to ascertain the facts, which India conveniently declined, for obvious reasons.

Until India abandons its opportunistic policies and embraces genuine dialogue, the dream of lasting peace in South Asia will remain elusive. Pakistan’s call for impartial inquiry and its credible evidence of Indian-backed terrorism deserve serious global attention, for lasting peace between the two nuclear states and in the region as a whole.