‘Neighbour epicentre of terrorism’: What Jaishankar said in 16 mins at UN on Pakistan, Trump

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar slammed cross-border terrorism and warned against state-sponsored extremism during a hard-hitting address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, citing April’s Pahalgam attack that killed 26.

Calling the Pahalgam attack “cross-border barbarism,” Jaishankar said India exercised its right to defend its citizens and had “brought its organisers and perpetrators to justice” through what has since been called Operation Sindoor.

“India has confronted this challenge since its independence, having a neighbour that is an epicentre of global terrorism,” Jaishankar said, without naming Pakistan. “UN’s designated lists of terrorists are replete with its nationals.”

He warned that nations openly using terrorism as state policy must face global accountability. “When terror hubs operate on an industrial scale, when terrorists are publicly glorified, such actions must be unequivocally condemned,” he added.

The minister urged the global community to adopt a unified front, choke terror financing, and increase pressure on what he described as the “entire terrorism ecosystem.” His comments drew a sharp contrast with continued geopolitical divides over how terrorism is defined and addressed at the international level.

Jaishankar’s remarks also came amid a spiraling tariff war with the U.S., following Donald Trump’s second-term return to the White House. India, along with other BRICS members, now faces steep duties—up to 50% on certain exports to the U.S.

“Non-market practices gamed rules and regimes,” Jaishankar said, criticizing what he described as manipulated global trade frameworks. He warned that tariff “volatility and uncertain market access” now force countries like India to “de-risk” from dominant supply chains.

Trump has already imposed a 30% tariff on most South African imports and a 50% duty on goods from India and Brazil. He has also threatened further tariffs against BRICS nations for what he calls “anti-American trade blocs.”