NEW DELHI: India delivered a sharp rebuke to Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council, accusing Islamabad of pushing a “single point agenda – to harm the country” and presenting a “false and self-serving account” of Operation Sindoor.In a sharp retort to Pakistan, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, said the facts surrounding the operation were clear and rooted in terrorism emanating from across the border.“Pakistan-sponsored terrorists killed 26 innocent civilians in a brutal attack in Pahalgam in April 2025,” Harish told the council during an open debate on international law and multilateralism.“This August body itself called for holding the perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and brought to justice. That is exactly what we did.”He described India’s military response under Operation Sindoor as “measured, non-escalatory, and responsible”, aimed at “dismantling the terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorists”. Harish added that until 9 May, Pakistan had been “threatening more attacks on India”, but “on the 10th of May, the Pakistani military called our military directly and pleaded for a cessation to the fighting”. He pointed to “images of destroyed runways and burnt-out hangars” at Pakistani airbases, saying the damage was “in the public domain”.Rejecting Pakistan’s hoax about a “new normal”, Harish said, “Terrorism can never be normalized as Pakistan wishes to do. It is not normal to tolerate Pakistan’s continued use of terrorism as an instrument of state policy. This hallowed chamber cannot become a forum for Pakistan to legitimize terrorism.” He added that India “will do whatever is required to protect and ensure the safety and security of our citizens”. Harish also used the debate to call for sweeping reform of the Security Council. He argued that the UN’s current structure reflects a “geopolitical reality of a bygone era” and warned that multilateralism is under strain due to paralysis in addressing conflicts.“The rule of law is barren without enforceability,” he said, urging a shift towards “pragmatic solutions and outcomes that positively impact the daily lives of our citizens”. He pressed for expansion of the Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories, saying global governance must evolve to remain “effective and credible” in a rapidly changing world.Operation Sindoor was carried out in the early hours of May 7 eliminating at least 100 terrorists in response to the horrific Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 innocent civilians.
