India to UN: won't bow to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail — SkimNews
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- India used its Right of Reply at the UN General Assembly's First Committee on Friday, delivered by Senior Adviser (Disarmament) Anmol Sher Singh Bedi, who warned that nuclear weapons "must not be treated as routine instruments of statecraft" and that a "nuclear overhang" raises the risk of escalation.
- Bedi outlined three "clear lines" of Indian policy: a "fitting response" to any terror attack, refusal to "bow to nuclear blackmail," and "no distinction between those who sponsor terrorism and those who mastermind it."
- Bedi accused Pakistan of a repeating pattern — "first, provocation; second, denial of responsibility; and third, appeals for restraint once a response has been made" — and said unaccountable leaders carry "no risk and impose no cost."
- India defended Operation Sindoor, launched in May last year after the April 22 Pahalgam attack killed 26 civilians (mostly tourists), as a response to "grave provocation" that was "measured, targeted, and designed to be non-escalatory."
- India confirmed the Indus Waters Treaty remains in abeyance over Pakistan's support for cross-border terror, arguing a state "cannot undermine foundations of trust" while "insisting that the privileges flowing from the relationship remain untouched."
- India invoked the A.Q. Khan proliferation network to urge "all states and all responsible suppliers to exercise the highest degree of vigilance" on unquestioned nuclear cooperation and advanced weapons transfers.
Why it matters: India's UN statement codifies a new diplomatic floor for future confrontations: the "no distinction between sponsors and masterminds" line sets a precedent any third-party mediation will now have to address. The reaffirmed Indus Waters Treaty abeyance preserves a sustained pressure point over Pakistan's water security that extends well beyond the military flashpoint.
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