India warns Pakistan at UN against using nuclear threats to pressure New Delhi

In a Right-of-Reply to the UN General Assembly First Committee, India’s senior adviser on disarmament, Anmol Sher Singh Bedi, countered Pakistan’s statements on Jammu and Kashmir and warned that nuclear weapons cannot be used as routine diplomatic tools. He emphasized that India’s military posture is defensive and shaped by its security environment, and that using a nuclear overhang to limit sub-conventional actions only heightens escalation risk.

Bedi outlined three guiding principles: any terrorist strike on India will meet a fitting response, India will not succumb to nuclear blackmail, and there will be no distinction between terrorist sponsors and masterminds. He cited Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7 2025, as a measured, non-escalatory retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The adviser also invoked the Indus Waters Treaty, stating it would stay suspended until Pakistan ends support for cross-border terrorism, and referenced the legacy of Abdul Qadeer Khan’s proliferation network as a caution to all states.