NEW YORK (Diya TV) — India launched a sharp rebuke against Pakistan at the United Nations, calling it a “rogue state” and accusing it of openly supporting terrorism, following Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s recent admission about his country’s long-standing role in funding and training terrorist groups.
The statement was delivered by Ambassador Yojna Patel, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, during the launch of the Victims of Terrorism Association Network (VOTAN), a new global initiative aimed at supporting survivors of terrorism and empowering them as advocates for peace.
Addressing the UN forum, Patel said, “The whole world has heard Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif admitting and confessing Pakistan’s history of supporting, training, and funding terrorist organizations in a recent television interview. This open confession surprises no one and exposes Pakistan as a rogue state fueling global terrorism and destabilizing the region.”
Patel called on the international community to end its silence, emphasizing that “the world can no longer turn a blind eye.” Her remarks come in the wake of a deadly attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where 26 civilians were killed. The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the massacre.
India responded to the Pahalgam attack by downgrading its diplomatic ties with Pakistan, marking a significant shift in its bilateral approach. The timing of the VOTAN launch—exactly one week after the attack—further underscored India’s message of global accountability in the fight against terrorism.
In an interview with Sky News earlier this month, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made headlines by candidly admitting that Islamabad had supported militant groups for decades, particularly during the Cold War and post-9/11 era. “We have been doing this dirty work for the US for the past three decades, including the West and UK,” Asif said, describing the strategy as a “mistake” that has cost Pakistan dearly in terms of security and international reputation.
India seized on these comments at the UN, stating that Pakistan’s long history of backing terrorism was now no longer just an allegation but a self-acknowledged fact. “Unfortunately, one particular delegation has chosen to misuse and undermine this forum to indulge in propaganda and make baseless allegations against India,” Patel noted. “But the record speaks for itself.”
The VOTAN initiative, where Patel made her remarks, is designed to serve as a global platform for survivors of terrorism, giving them a voice in international policy and community healing efforts. India’s intervention emphasized that empowering victims also involves holding state sponsors of terrorism accountable.
The latest developments have intensified the already strained relationship between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbors with a long history of conflict, particularly over the disputed region of Kashmir.
India has consistently accused Pakistan of harboring and supporting terror networks operating in the region, claims that Islamabad has routinely denied. However, Asif’s recent remarks have reignited international scrutiny, offering what India calls undeniable confirmation of its longstanding concerns.
