‘A terrorist country is asking me’: Jaishankar’s sharp reply to Pak journalist at UN

Jaishankar’s sharp UN response to Pak journalist’s terrorism question

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday exchanged words with a Pakistani journalist at the United Nations headquarters in New York after being asked about alleged Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan.

The journalist asked Jaishankar, “When will your government stop sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan?” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Harish Parvathaneni, responded, “You have heard your reply. You have heard your response, loud and clear.”

The exchange took place after Jaishankar and Liberian Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti spoke to reporters following the launch of a new international group focused on the safety of ships and seafarers.

The incident came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was questioned by an Indian journalist outside the UN headquarters. He was asked when Pakistan would stop harbouring terrorists and, later, about action against Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed. Sharif did not respond to the questions, according to reports.

India, Liberia launch shipping safety group

Jaishankar and Nyanti announced the formation of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.

The grouping aims to increase international cooperation on protecting commercial vessels and their crews as security threats continue to affect key maritime routes.

Jaishankar said India and Liberia had a particular interest in the issue, with India being a major source of seafarers and Liberia operating the world’s largest shipping registry.

He pointed to repeated attacks on commercial vessels in and around the Gulf and Red Sea, saying disruptions to maritime trade and threats to civilian lives were “simply indefensible.”

The initiative covers concerns linked to major shipping corridors, including the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab-el-Mandeb and the Black Sea.

• Indian seafarer killed in latest vessel attack
• The security risks have recently affected Indian crews as well.

On September 23, an Indian national was killed after the bulk carrier MV Cape Dao was attacked off Oman while sailing towards India. The Indian Embassy in Oman said it was coordinating with Omani authorities, while the Ministry of External Affairs said 19 of the 20 Indian seafarers on board had been rescued.

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has also been severely disrupted. Reuters reported that only two commodity vessels crossed the strait on September 21, compared with an estimated pre-conflict average of around 125 large commercial ships a day.

India has separately issued safety advisories for seafarers operating in conflict-affected waters and said it is maintaining monitoring and emergency-response mechanisms for Indian crews.

The new India-Liberia grouping is aimed at keeping the safety of commercial shipping and seafarers on the international agenda amid continuing instability across major maritime routes.