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Pakistan Rejects Jaishankar’s “Irresponsible Assertions”, Accuses India of Promoting Terrorism
Pakistan’s Foreign Office rejects Indian FM S Jaishankar’s remarks, accusing New Delhi of deflecting attention from its own record of terrorism, regional instability and violations of the Indus Waters Treaty.
ND
by News Desk
2026-01-03
Pakistan Rejects Jaishankar’s “Irresponsible Assertions”, Accuses India of Promoting Terrorism

Pakistan’s Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday strongly rejected what it termed “irresponsible assertions” made by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, accusing New Delhi of attempting to deflect attention from its own role in promoting terrorism and contributing to regional instability.

Although the FO statement did not directly name Jaishankar, it came in response to remarks reported by Indian media in which the Indian minister referred to “bad neighbours” while justifying India’s stance on terrorism and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).

According to The Hindu, Jaishankar said on Friday that India had the right to defend itself against terrorism, indirectly referring to Pakistan. “If a country decides that they will deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism, we have a right to defend our people against terrorism,” he was quoted as saying.

He also questioned the continuation of the Indus Waters Treaty, stating that the agreement was based on goodwill and good neighbourly relations, which, he claimed, could not coexist with allegations of terrorism.

In its response, the Foreign Office said Pakistan “firmly rejects the irresponsible assertions made by the Indian external affairs minister,” adding that India was once again attempting to divert attention from its own actions in the region.

“India’s documented involvement in promoting terrorist activities in the region, particularly in Pakistan, is well known,” the FO said, citing the case of Indian naval officer Commander Kulbhushan Jadhav as a “stark example of organised, state-sponsored terrorism” against Pakistan.

Jadhav was arrested in Balochistan in March 2016 and later confessed to espionage and involvement in terrorist activities. He remains imprisoned in Pakistan.

The FO further expressed concern over what it described as India’s pattern of “extraterritorial killings, sabotage through proxies, and covert support to terrorist networks,” stating that such actions were consistent with the extremist Hindutva ideology.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir, the statement said India continued its “illegal and violent military occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.” Pakistan reiterated its political, moral and diplomatic support for the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Addressing remarks on the Indus Waters Treaty, the FO said the agreement was an international treaty concluded in good faith and at considerable cost to Pakistan. It warned that any unilateral violation by India would undermine regional stability and raise serious questions about New Delhi’s commitment to international legal obligations.

“Pakistan will take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights under the treaty,” the statement added.

The development comes days after National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar briefly shook hands in Dhaka during the funeral of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia. The interaction marked the first high-level contact between Pakistani and Indian officials since the military confrontation between the two countries in May 2025.
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