At the UN General Assembly on Friday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif delivered a confrontational address filled with threats toward India, highlighting the sway of his nation’s military leadership.
He warned of possible strikes against India, framing them as a defense of Pakistan’s “right” to Indus waters and branding New Delhi’s restrictions on them an “act of war.”
Sharif continued to announce that Pakistan had gained a "victory" in the May battles with India, depicting his nation as bargaining in a "position of strength." The truth was otherwise: it was Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations, Major General Kashif Abdullah, who called his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, to ask for a ceasefire.
Besides praising his military sponsors, Sharif also directed praise overseas. He praised U.S. President Donald Trump, asserting the American president averted a "catastrophic" war, even attributing this as the reason for which Pakistan had nominated him for a Nobel Prize. He also thanked Trump for talking to Arab and Muslim-majority countries at the UN during the week.
Sharif also spared compliments for China's President Xi Jinping, praising his "vision and foresight," highlighting Islamabad's close relationship with Beijing.
The Prime Minister's fiercest language was reserved for Israel after India. He blamed the nation of being "genocidal" and said that it had "unleashed unspeakable terror." Trying to find comparison, he mentioned Palestine and Kashmir in the same breath, conjoining both in his criticism of India.
Sharif also referred to the UN Security Council resolution of long standing on Kashmir, calling for a plebiscite. Again, he did not mention that it also calls for withdrawal by Pakistan of its military, tribal forces, and civilian infiltrators from Kashmir.
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