India delivered a forceful rebuttal to Pakistan at the United Nations General Assembly's First Committee on Disarmament and International Security, asserting that nuclear weapons must never be used as routine instruments of statecraft and making clear that New Delhi will not bow to nuclear blackmail.

The remarks were made while exercising India's Right of Reply in response to statements made by Pakistan.

Speaking on behalf of India, First Secretary Anmol Sher Singh Bedi underlined that India's military capabilities are defensive in nature and shaped solely by its own security requirements rather than being directed against any particular country.

Bedi also defended India's response following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. He described New Delhi's actions as measured, targeted and non-escalatory, undertaken in exercise of its right to self-defence.

Setting out India's position in unambiguous terms, the diplomat outlined three principles that would guide the country's response to future security threats.

First, any terrorist attack against India would receive a fitting response.

Second, India would not submit to nuclear blackmail.

Third, India would draw no distinction between those who sponsor terrorism and those who plan or mastermind it.

He stressed that the use of non-state actors as proxies does not absolve a state of responsibility for violence carried out in its name.

According to Bedi, attempts to hide behind proxy groups cannot dilute India's right of self-defence or shield those responsible from consequences.

Addressing concerns about escalation, he argued that actions matter more than rhetoric and warned against the practice of invoking nuclear capabilities to restrict responses to sub-conventional attacks.

He stated that reliance on a nuclear overhang to limit the consequences of such activities increases the risk of escalation rather than promoting restraint.

Drawing attention to recurring regional tensions, Bedi said crises often follow a familiar sequence consisting of provocation, denial of responsibility and subsequent calls for restraint after a response has been delivered.

He further remarked that when decision-makers are not accountable to their population, instability can become a useful political tool and crises can be turned into instruments of power.

On the Indus Waters Treaty, he maintained that the agreement was built upon good faith and mutual goodwill.

He argued that a state cannot continuously undermine trust while simultaneously expecting all benefits arising from that relationship to remain unaffected.

The comments reflected India's broader position that international agreements depend not only on legal provisions but also on sustained confidence between the parties involved.

Bedi also referred to the AQ Khan proliferation network, whose activities contributed to the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540.

He urged all countries and responsible suppliers to apply the highest standards of vigilance in matters relating to nuclear cooperation and military transfers.

Reaffirming India's overall approach, he said the country does not seek conflict and remains committed to peace with all nations.

However, he warned that without accountability for reckless actions, peace risks becoming merely a temporary pause between successive crises.

The exchange came against the backdrop of continuing diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad following the Pahalgam terrorist attack and India's subsequent counter-terror operations, which Indian officials have repeatedly characterised as carefully calibrated measures aimed at terrorist infrastructure rather than broader military escalation.

Separately at the United Nations earlier in the week, India also accused Pakistan of presenting itself internationally as both a victim of terrorism and a frontline state against it while ignoring its long history of nurturing extremist networks.

Speaking in a separate Right of Reply before the UN General Assembly's Sixth Committee, First Secretary Raghoo Puri stated that the terrorist organisations created and supported by the Pakistani state had ultimately turned against their own creators.

He said this reality had been acknowledged even within Pakistan's own political leadership and called for stronger international action against states that sponsor terrorism.

Puri further criticised what he described as Pakistan's attempt to simultaneously support and combat extremist groups, warning that such contradictions cannot be sustained indefinitely.

His remarks were delivered in response to comments made by Pakistan's Deputy Permanent Representative Usman Jadoon during proceedings of the UN General Assembly's legal affairs committee, underscoring India's continuing effort to keep the spotlight on terrorism and state accountability at multilateral forums.

Agencies