India Warns Pakistan Against Nuclear Blackmail at UN General Assembly

On October 9, 2026, India exercised its Right of Reply during the First Committee plenary of the United Nations General Assembly. Senior Adviser (Disarmament) Anmol Sher Singh Bedi, representing India’s Permanent Mission, responded to Pakistan’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that nuclear weapons must not be treated as routine tools of statecraft and warning that India would not yield to nuclear coercion.

‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN The HinduIndia tells UN it will not bow to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail

Tensions have risen since the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians. India blamed the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba proxy The Resistance Front. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India tells UN it will not bow to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail The Hindu‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN

Bedi linked the dispute to the Indus Waters Treaty, arguing that any breach of mutual trust undermines the agreement. He also referenced the legacy of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and the proliferation network that led to UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004).

‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN

• 26 civilians killed in the April 22 attack.

India tells UN it will not bow to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail

• Operation Sindoor began on May 7, 2025.

The Hindu

• UN Resolution 1540 (2004) addresses prevention of WMD proliferation to non-state actors.

‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN

Bedi emphasized three principles: a proportional response to any terrorist attack, refusal to bow to nuclear blackmail, and no distinction between sponsors and masterminds of terrorism. He described India’s military posture as defensive and shaped by its security environment, not directed against any specific state.

‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN

He warned that relying on a nuclear overhang to deter sub-conventional activity raises the risk of escalation rather than restraint, and he criticized the pattern of provocation, denial, and calls for restraint that he said stems from a lack of accountability among unelected power holders.

‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN

Regarding the Indus Waters Treaty, India said the agreement would remain in abeyance until Pakistan ends support for cross-border terrorism. On proliferation, India urged all states and suppliers to exercise heightened vigilance, citing the AQ Khan network as a cautionary example.

India tells UN it will not bow to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail

• “We heard concerns about escalation. These are legitimate concerns. However, these are best judged by conduct over time. Nuclear weapons must not be treated as routine instruments of statecraft,” — Anmol Sher Singh Bedi

‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN

• “First, any terrorist attack against India will receive a fitting response. Second, India will not bow to nuclear blackmail. Third, India will make no distinction between those who sponsor terrorism and those who mastermind it,” — Anmol Sher Singh Bedi

‘Nuclear weapons not routine instruments of statecraft’: India’s warning to Pakistan at UN

These statements capture the core messages delivered by Bedi during the UN session.

India tells UN it will not bow to Pakistan's nuclear blackmail