External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered a sharp rebuke to a Pakistani journalist who disrupted a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, 25 September, firing back: 'A terrorist country is asking me that? Come on!' The exchange, captured on video and widely circulated, underscores the deepening diplomatic hostility between India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The Confrontation at the Press Conference

The incident occurred during a joint press conference between Jaishankar and Liberia's Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti on the launch of the Group of Friends on Safety and Security of Shipping and Seafarers. A Pakistani journalist reportedly barged in and shouted comments directed at India, prompting Jaishankar's cutting response delivered with what observers described as an ironic smile.

When the reporter continued to interrupt, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, P Harish, stepped in and told him: 'You hear him loud and clear!' The exchange was brief but pointed, drawing attention across diplomatic circles present at the UNGA session.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's Silence Under Questioning

A day earlier, on Thursday, an Indian media correspondent confronted Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif near the entrance to the General Assembly, asking: 'Prime Minister, when will you stop harbouring terrorists?' and 'When will you prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed?' Sharif reportedly quickened his pace and looked away, offering no response to either question.

The confrontation was repeated when Sharif departed the UN premises, and again he declined to address the reporters. A video showing the episode circulated widely on social media. Notably, Hafiz Saeed, the founder of the Pakistan-based proscribed terror organisation LeT, is a UN-listed global terrorist and carries a $10 million bounty placed on him by the United States government. He remains one of India's most-wanted internationally designated terrorists.

India's Broader Offensive at the UN

The confrontations at the press conference and the General Assembly entrance were preceded by a sharply worded Indian intervention at the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday. Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi hit back at Pakistan's attempts to deflect attention, stating: 'Pakistan would better serve its people by focusing on development, rather than by coveting territory of others or exporting terror, because neither these nor its theatrics in the Council would help repay the loans its economy survives on.'

Tyagi also raised what India described as Pakistan's suppression of civilians in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), alleging that mass protests there had been met with lethal force while authorities restricted access to food, fuel, and medicine. He said the Council had been informed the previous Friday of 'scores of civilians killed since June' in the territory, along with reports of students being arrested in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

'When those accounts were given, Pakistan's answer was a point of order. If any delegation in this room meets every objective criterion for this Council's scrutiny, it is Pakistan,' Tyagi said, according to reports.

Context: India-Pakistan at UNGA 2026

This year's UNGA session has seen an unusually pointed exchange between New Delhi and Islamabad across multiple forums — the General Assembly floor, the Human Rights Council, and now a bilateral shipping press conference. India's strategy appears to be one of proactive confrontation rather than measured silence, with officials from the EAM to mid-level diplomats publicly challenging Pakistan's record on terrorism and governance.

This is not the first time India-Pakistan tensions have spilled into the corridors and press rooms of UN Headquarters during the General Assembly high-level week. However, the directness of Jaishankar's remark — and the visual of Sharif walking away without responding — gives this year's iteration unusual diplomatic weight and social media reach.

With the UNGA session continuing, further exchanges between the two delegations remain possible in the days ahead.