India’s sharp rebuttal at the United Nations Security Council during the open debate on Leadership for Peace brought Pakistan’s internal contradictions and cross-border conduct into focus. India’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, drew attention to the contrast between Pakistan’s imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the lifetime legal protections granted to Army Chief General Asim Munir, calling it a troubling reflection of Islamabad’s democratic backsliding.

Parvathaneni criticised Pakistan’s political trajectory, highlighting the jailing of a popular leader, the banning of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, and the passage of the 27th constitutional amendment, which he described as enabling a military-backed power grab. The amendment grants lifetime immunity to the Chief of Defence Forces, effectively shielding the military leadership from accountability. India argued that this development reinforces a long-standing pattern in Pakistan, where the army’s influence routinely eclipses civilian authority, undermining democratic institutions.

India also reiterated its long-held concerns over terrorism, branding Pakistan the global epicentre of terror and linking it to decades of cross-border attacks, including the April 2025 Pahalgam incident that claimed the lives of 26 civilians. Against this backdrop, Parvathaneni defended India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty, stating that New Delhi had honoured the agreement in good faith for 65 years despite wars and persistent terror attacks. He made it clear that water-sharing cannot continue unless Pakistan takes verifiable action to dismantle terror networks operating from its soil.

Responding to Pakistan’s attempt to revive the Jammu and Kashmir issue at the UN, India firmly rejected the claim, reiterating that the region is an integral and inalienable part of India. Parvathaneni described Pakistan’s repeated references to Kashmir as an obsessive fixation driven by hostility towards India, asserting that such rhetoric is unbecoming of a country aspiring to responsible global leadership.

India concluded by affirming its resolve to counter Pakistan-sponsored terrorism with full force, warning that continued provocation would invite firm responses. With Pakistan’s military leadership recently engaging in nuclear posturing, the exchange at the UN underscored the fragile state of peace in South Asia. For the international community, India’s message was clear: meaningful leadership for peace begins with accountability, democratic integrity, and an end to state-sponsored violence at home.