India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, strongly criticised Pakistan's claims and statements on Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. He condemned the neighbouring country’s "fanatical mindset" and "record of bigotry" while reaffirming that the Union Territory has always been an integral part of India. While delivering India's statement at the UN meeting marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Harish said, "As is their habit, the former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan today has made an unjustified reference to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Frequent references will neither validate their claim nor justify their practice of cross-border terrorism."

"The fanatical mindset of this nation is well known, as also its record of bigotry. Such efforts will not change the reality that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be an integral part of India," Harish highlighted.

Hours earlier on Friday, India firmly dismissed Pakistan’s allegations of “sponsoring terrorism,” stating that the world knows where the absolute “epicentre of global terrorism” is. This response followed Islamabad’s claims that New Delhi was supporting terror activities, though it did not explicitly link India to the recent Balochistan train attack that killed 21 passengers. India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations later praised Harish for his bold and powerful speech at the UN session. "Harish highlighted that India is a land of diversity and pluralism. With over 200 million, India is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in the world, and it stands united with the @UN membership in condemning incidents of religious intolerance against Muslims," according to the statement.

In his powerful speech, Harish pointed out that the world is currently grappling with a larger issue of religious discrimination. He stated, "Fostering a world free from religious discrimination, hatred, and violence has been a way of life for India since time immemorial."

He emphasised that India strongly believes true progress comes from recognising the various forms of religiophobia in our diverse global society. Harish added that for this reason, any UN discussion on matters of faith should aim to unite rather than divide.