India is exercising its right of reply at the United Nations in New York following comments by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the UN General Assembly. At the same time, Petal Gahlot, India’s First Secretary at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations, questioned Pakistan’s history of terrorism and said that founder Osama bin Laden lived in Pakistan.
Gahlot told the General Assembly that India had listened to what she termed “bizarre remarks” from Pakistan’s representative. She framed her response in the context of the 25th anniversary commemorations of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
"This afternoon, the General Assembly heard some bizarre remarks from the representative of Pakistan,” Gahlot said.
She then described the history of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, who had been found in Abbottabad, Pakistan, near the Pakistan Military Academy. Bin Laden was killed in May 2011 by US forces in Abbottabad.
Gahlot said the location of bin Laden’s hideout was significant because it was close to one of Pakistan’s top military institutions. She also compared this with what she described as the praise that the Pakistani representative gave to Pakistan’s military establishment in the UN address.
#WATCH | New York | Exercising the right of reply of India on Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's speech, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Petal Gahlot says, "This afternoon, the General Assembly heard some bizarre remarks from the representative of Pakistan. This… pic.twitter.com/ICH056qzQB
— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2026
"This happens just a fortnight after New York City and the world marked the 25th anniversary of the horrendous 9-11 terrorist attack,” Gahlot said. “This context is important to keep in mind because its mastermind, Osama bin Laden, was living right on the doorstep of the Pakistani Army’s top academy.”
The Indian diplomat referred to Pakistan’s political situation as she concluded her reply. Gahlot described the administration in Islamabad as what she said Pakistanis themselves call a “Form 47 government.”
Form 47 refers to Pakistan’s election process and is associated with the election results of returning officers. In political discussions after Pakistan’s 2024 general elections, it has also been used by critics who claim that the official results were not indicative of the actual vote count. There are so far, different claims have been made by Pakistani authorities and political parties or other people.
India’s response came as Sharif also used his UN General Assembly speech to raise issues affecting India-Pakistan relations and other regional issues. The exchange reflects the continuing diplomatic friction between the two neighbouring countries, particularly over terrorism, Kashmir and Pakistan’s political and security establishment.
India has always used international forums to highlight its concerns about terrorism from Pakistani territory, while Pakistan has raised allegations against India and sought international attention on the Kashmir dispute.
The most recent exchange at the UN continues a long-standing pattern when representatives of both countries use the General Assembly platform to give sharply contrasting positions on security, terrorism and bilateral relations.
Gahlot’s comments had brought more attention to bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad. His discovery there in 2011 had triggered international debate about how the al-Qaeda leader could live for years in Pakistan despite being one of the world’s most wanted terrorists.
The Indian diplomat’s intervention also underlined New Delhi’s broader argument that Pakistan’s record and policies on terrorism should be taken into account to evaluate statements made by its leadership at international forums.
