Pak PM Sharif Praises US President Donald Trump at UNGA

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's address at the United Nations General Assembly, in which he sought to reiterate Islamabad's false narrative on the 2025 conflict with India, drew a viral reaction from an Indian diplomat.

The cameras captured Indian diplomat R Srinivas appearing to smirk and laugh as Sharif spoke about Pakistan’s claimed “victory” in the May 2025 conflict with India. The moment came as Sharif presented Islamabad’s version of the conflict and raised several issues concerning India, including the Indus Waters Treaty and Kashmir.

Addressing the UN, Sharif praised US President Donald Trump for his role in preventing further escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours during Operation Sindoor. “His timely intervention came at a decisive juncture when two nuclear-armed neighbours stood at the brink of an all-out war. And, who knows, Mr President, the extent of devastation that could have taken place had President Trump not stepped in at this critical moment with clarity of thought and action,” Sharif said.

“Mr President, we must therefore ensure that South Asia never reaches that precipice ever again,” he added.

India, however, has consistently maintained that the cessation of military action on May 10, 2025, was reached through direct communication between India and Pakistan and did not involve third-party mediation. Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had approached his Indian counterpart on May 10, seeking a cessation of military action. India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. India said the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

India also exercised its right of reply to Sharif’s remarks. Petal Gahlot, First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, criticised Pakistan’s political system and its references to democratic rights and human values. She also referred to Osama bin Laden’s presence near Pakistan’s military academy.

“This afternoon, the General Assembly heard some bizarre remarks from the representative of Pakistan. This happens just a fortnight after New York City and the world marked the 25th anniversary of the horrendous 9-11 terrorist attack. 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 premier academy. This was the very entity which was the subject of such deep genuflection before us today by the representative of Pakistan. But all this is only to be expected from what Pakistanis themselves call a Form 47 government.”

Gahlot also responded to Pakistan’s references to democratic rights and the role of the military in the country. “We heard some hypocritical homilies about democratic rights and human values from a regime whose capital at this very moment is being fortified against its own people. And that, Mr. President, is happening because this is a regime of the army, by the army, and for the army.

Their puppets may come and go, but let us have no illusion about who calls the shots. The reality of Pakistan is expressed in its 27th Amendment and the lifelong immunity granted to its real ruler,” she added.

Sharif also criticised India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, arguing that the “move was not legal” and highlighting the importance of the Indus river system to Pakistan. India placed the treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack and has said the decision will remain in effect until Pakistan takes credible and irreversible action against cross-border terrorism. The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty governs the sharing of the waters of the Indus river system between India and Pakistan.