India has issued a sharp rebuke to Pakistan at the United Nations, cautioning against the use of nuclear weapons as a tool for political coercion. During a session of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee, which focuses on disarmament and international security, India’s representative stated that nuclear arsenals should not be regarded as routine instruments of statecraft.
Anmol Sher Singh Bedi, Senior Adviser at India's Permanent Mission to the Conference on Disarmament, exercised the nation's Right of Reply following remarks by Pakistan regarding Jammu and Kashmir. Bedi reiterated that the region remains an integral part of India, while asserting that New Delhi’s defensive military capabilities are shaped by its regional security environment rather than being directed at any single nation. He warned that relying on a nuclear overhang to mask sub-conventional activities, such as support for terrorism, only serves to heighten the risk of escalation.
Highlighting its firm stance on national security, India outlined three core principles: any terrorist attack will face a direct response, the country will not succumb to nuclear blackmail, and no distinction will be made between sponsors and masterminds of terror. These comments follow India’s military actions in May 2025, which were launched as a measured response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, in which 26 civilians were killed. India maintained that using non-state actors as proxies does not absolve a state of its responsibility for their actions.
Furthermore, India addressed the status of the Indus Waters Treaty, noting that its continuation is contingent upon mutual trust. New Delhi has placed the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan demonstrates a credible end to cross-border terrorism. The session also touched upon historical concerns regarding nuclear proliferation, with India urging the international community to remain vigilant against the transfer of nuclear technology to non-state actors, referencing the past networks associated with Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.
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