UNITED NATIONS, Oct 10: India has strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations, warning that nuclear weapons must not be treated as “routine instruments of statecraft” and asserting that New Delhi will not succumb to nuclear blackmail.
India exercised its Right of Reply during Friday’s plenary meeting of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, which deals with disarmament and international security, following remarks by Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir.
Delivering the response, Anmol Sher Singh Bedi, Senior Adviser (Disarmament) at India’s Permanent Mission to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India.
Responding to Pakistan’s demand for the return of what it described as Indian-occupied territories, Bedi said India remained committed to peace but warned that a lack of accountability for reckless actions could lead to repeated crises.
“India has always stood for peace and continues to seek peace with one and with all,” he said, adding that peace could not be sustained without responsibility for actions that threaten regional stability.
Bedi emphasised that India’s security capabilities were defensive in nature and shaped by its own security environment, rather than being directed against any particular country.
Addressing concerns about regional escalation, he said such risks needed to be assessed in light of the conduct of the countries involved over time. He cautioned that relying on the threat of nuclear weapons to shield activities below the threshold of conventional warfare could increase the danger of escalation instead of encouraging restraint.
Referring to what India described as a recurring pattern in regional crises, Bedi said provocations were often followed by denials of responsibility and subsequent appeals for restraint after a response had been delivered.
He also argued that when decision-makers were not elected by the people or held accountable to them, the consequences of their actions could be transferred to the wider population, allowing instability to become a tool of political power.
India maintained that the use of non-state actors by a state did not absolve the latter of responsibility. Bedi reaffirmed that India’s right to self-defence remained intact.
He outlined three principles guiding India’s response to terrorism: any terrorist attack against the country would receive an appropriate response; India would not yield to nuclear blackmail; and there would be no distinction between those who sponsor terrorism and those who mastermind it.
Bedi also defended India’s actions following the April 22, 2025, terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed.
He said India acted in self-defence after the attack and described its response in May 2025 as measured, targeted and designed to avoid further escalation.
India launched Operation Sindoor to target terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack. The Resistance Front, identified by India as a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, was linked to the attack.
The Indian representative also addressed the Indus Waters Treaty, arguing that the agreement had been founded on good faith and mutual trust.
He said a country could not undermine the principles of cooperation underpinning an agreement while expecting the benefits arising from that relationship to remain unaffected.
Following the Pahalgam attack, India announced that the treaty would remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ended its support for cross-border and other forms of terrorism.
Bedi further raised concerns about nuclear proliferation, referring to the network led by Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. The network was involved in the illicit transfer of nuclear technology and equipment to countries seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The proliferation concerns contributed to international efforts to strengthen controls against the spread of weapons of mass destruction, including the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 in 2004.
Highlighting the wider security implications, Bedi urged countries and responsible suppliers to exercise the highest degree of vigilance when considering nuclear cooperation and transfers of advanced military capabilities.
He said such safeguards were necessary not merely because of India’s security concerns, but also to protect the security of the international community.
India’s statement at the UN underscored its position that regional peace requires accountability for terrorism, responsible nuclear conduct and safeguards against the proliferation of sensitive technologies.