India's diplomat at the United Nations has accused Pakistan of misusing a UN forum for propaganda, saying Pakistan's representatives follow the dictates of its army, which he called the country's real rulers. First Secretary Raghoo Puri made the remarks during an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee on Saturday 25 October 2026.

What Puri said

According to reports of the exchange, Puri said Pakistan's delegate had misused the platform to paint what he called a propagandist picture of India, and that the delegate was following the dictates of the fauj, the Urdu word for army. He also said Pakistan should look inwards, focus on the well-being of its own citizens, and vacate territory under what India calls illegal occupation, repeating India's long-standing position that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India. He added that India's minorities have contributed immensely to the country's development, including at the highest levels of government.

The wider argument

The exchange is the latest in a long series of public clashes between India and Pakistan at the UN, where each side regularly responds to the other's statements on Kashmir, minorities and terrorism. Pakistan frequently raises Kashmir at international forums, while India responds by raising Pakistan's record on minorities and security. The remarks reported on Sunday were made in the context of a dialogue on minority rights, and they follow an earlier exchange in the same week in which India criticised a UN rapporteur's report.

These are statements made by a diplomat in debate, not findings by the UN itself, and Pakistan's delegation has previously rejected India's characterisations of its politics. DailyByte reports the exchange as an account of what was said, and will add any formal Pakistani response if one is published.