External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday hit back at a Pakistani representative who questioned him over allegations involving US-based Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and accused India of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan.
Responding sharply to the question during a press interaction on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Jaishankar said, “A terrorist country is asking me that question?”
The exchange triggered reactions on social media, with several Indian users praising Jaishankar’s response and accusing Pakistan of attempting to push its narrative at the international forum.
Jaishankar was in New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, where he has been highlighting concerns over attacks on commercial shipping and the safety of seafarers.
Earlier, at the inaugural meeting of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers, Jaishankar said India and Liberia had joined hands to draw attention to the growing threats faced by commercial vessels and their crews.
He cited recent attacks in the Gulf of Oman, Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea and Black Sea, including incidents involving Indian sailors. Jaishankar said an Indian sailor was killed when the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged bulk carrier MV Cape Dao was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, while an Indian crew member went missing after the Panama-flagged tanker El Gaia was struck in the Strait of Hormuz.
He also referred to attacks on MV Omorfi and MV Golden Leo in the Black Sea, saying Indian and other nationals had lost their lives in such incidents.
At the UN, Jaishankar stressed that there could be “no justification” for attacks on commercial shipping and merchant mariners and called for such violence to stop.
