"Virtuous performance, worthy for a role in Bollywood film": Ex-diplomat slams Sharif's UNGA speech as India rebuts Pak's narrative

New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): Former Indian diplomat Mahesh Sachdev on Saturday tore into Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80), likening it to a "virtuous performance, worthy of a role in a Bollywood film" and slamming it as a "fake narrative" riddled with factual inconsistencies.
Speaking to ANI, Sachdev excoriated Sharif's speech for its "doublespeak" and glorification of terrorism, a charge echoed by First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Petal Gahlot, in India's rebuttal to Sharif's speech while exercising the right of reply at the general assembly.
"I think it was a virtuous performance, worthy of a role in a Bollywood film. On a serious note, one should say that this was a fake narrative and could be shredded in terms of its inconsistency with the facts, as the Indian response to the speech has already pointed out... It was wrong factually... The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in eating. The terrorism that is a basic tenet of Pakistan's regional foreign policy spans not only India but also Afghanistan," Sachdev said.
He cited Pakistan's decade-long sheltering of Osama bin Laden under military protection and the "participation of Pakistani military top brass in funerals" of terrorists killed during India's Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror complexes in nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
"Osama Bin Laden peacefully lived under the Pakistani Army's protection for nearly a decade before he was assassinated by Americans... The Indian attack on such facilities with Pakistani terrorist groups bred against India, trained their cadres against India and the participation of Pakistani military top brass in their funerals speaks louder than Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif did. I think we are in no illusion about the doublespeak that Pakistani authorities indulge in," the former diplomat added.
India's right of reply, delivered by Gahlot, mocked Sharif's claim of a "victory" in the May conflict, noting that Pakistan's military pleaded for a ceasefire on May 10 after Indian forces destroyed multiple airbases.
"If destroyed runways and burnt-out hangars look like victory, Pakistan is welcome to enjoy it," Gahlot quipped, while slamming Pakistan for its role in shielding groups like 'The Resistance Front', responsible for the April 22 massacre of tourists in Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, former diplomat KP Fabian, offering a path forward, suggested that Pakistan could rebuild trust by dismantling its terror infrastructure.
"If Pakistan is serious about having a dialogue with India, all that Pakistan has to do is very simple--make a declaration that from Pakistan's soil there will be no export of terrorism to India; second, take consequential action by dismantling the infrastructure; third, let there be a team of UN experts, including 1-2 from India, to verify that it has been done," Fabian told ANI.
He proposed that India could then restore the Indus Water Treaty and engage in talks, but stressed that bilateral resolution is key.
"India-Pakistan differences have to be sorted out bilaterally; bringing in Trump or anybody else doesn't help," he said, referencing Sharif's recent US outreach.
Commenting on India's rebuttal, Fabian noted Pakistan's tendency to reframe terrorists as "Kashmiri brethren fighting for liberation."
"It's a question of how one uses words. But here again, sit down and talk and it is possible to find some area of agreement," he added. (ANI)