External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday inaugurated an exhibition titled 'The Human Cost of Terrorism' at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and called for a united global stand against terrorism and state-sponsored extremism in a subtle reference to Pakistan.

While addressing the event, Jaishankar underlined the urgency of exposing and holding accountable those responsible for acts of terror, especially when they are supported by a state.

He referred to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, which was strongly condemned by the UN Security Council five weeks ago and said the world must reject impunity for terrorists and must not treat them as proxies and must oppose any form of nuclear blackmail.

“Any state sponsorship must be exposed and must be counted”, he declared and emphasised that terrorism anywhere threatens peace everywhere.

“Terrorism is one of the gravest threats to humanity. It is the antithesis of everything that the UN stands for — human rights, rules and norms, and how nations should conduct their dealings with each other,” he said.

Jaishankar underscored the importance of publicly calling out terrorism, especially when it is backed by a state against a neighbour, fuelled by extremism, and connected to various illegal activities.

“It is imperative to call it out publicly and one way of doing so is to display the havoc that it has wreaked on global society”, he added.

The exhibition was organised by India’s Permanent Mission to the UN and features powerful visual and textual displays documenting major terror attacks around the world, including the 1993 and 2008 Mumbai attacks and the recent Pahalgam strike.

It honours the victims and survivors, gives voice to those who can no longer speak and reminds the international community of its shared responsibility to combat terrorism in all its forms.

Jaishankar urged the UN to move beyond remembrance to action, reinforcing the message of zero tolerance towards terrorism and the need for collective resolve to protect peace and human dignity globally.

The exhibition will be on display at two locations within the UN headquarters from 30 June to 3 July and again from 7 to 11 July 2025.

On April 22, terrorists attacked tourists at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam and killed 25 Indian nationals and one from Nepal, leaving several others injured.

In response to the Pahalgam attack, the Indian Armed Forces carried out targeted strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

On April 24, India also announced a series of measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, the shutdown of the only operational land border crossing at Attari and the downgrading of diplomatic ties.