Archive · 23 Sep 2026
Old Sharif Terrorism Remark Resurfaces With False UNGA Claim
A video of Pakistan’s prime minister is being shared online again.
Some posts incorrectly say he made the speech during the current United Nations meeting.
The video actually comes from his speech on September 26, 2025.
Sharif said Pakistan had stopped terrorists who might otherwise have reached cities such as New York and London.
He was arguing that Pakistan’s fight against terrorism helped people in other countries.
Some viewers thought his wording sounded like a confession about terrorists being in Pakistan.
Sharif said Pakistan had suffered many deaths and major economic losses from terrorism.
He later blamed groups including the TTP, BLA and Majeed Brigade for operating from Afghan territory.
A video of Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussing terrorists has resurfaced online during the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The clip is from Sharif’s September 26, 2025, speech to the 80th United Nations General Assembly, not the ongoing 2026 session.
Sharif said terrorists not “encountered” by Pakistan might have been roaming the streets of New York, London and the Far East.
Social media users interpreted the wording as potentially suggesting that terrorists were present, controlled or supported in Pakistan.
Sharif presented Pakistan as a frontline counterterrorism state, citing more than 90,000 deaths and $150 billion in economic losses.
- Who
- Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, social media users, media outlets that shared the clip, and India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
- What
- An old excerpt from Sharif’s 2025 United Nations speech was falsely presented as a statement from the current UN General Assembly and triggered debate over his wording about “encountering” terrorists.
- When
- Sharif made the remarks on September 26, 2025; the clip resurfaced during the 81st United Nations General Assembly and before his scheduled September 25, 2026 address.
- Where
- The original remarks were delivered at the United Nations General Assembly and referred to New York, London and the Far East.
- Why
- The clip resurfaced because users and media posts connected it to the current UN session and questioned whether Sharif’s wording implied that terrorists were present or supported in Pakistan.
Online Critics’ Interpretation
Sharif’s Counterterrorism Defense
Meaning of “encountered”
Online Critics’ Interpretation
Users argued that the phrase could imply terrorists were present in Pakistan and being controlled, tolerated, sheltered, funded or trained there.
Sharif’s Counterterrorism Defense
Sharif used the phrase to argue that Pakistan had stopped terrorists before they could threaten people in cities abroad.
Pakistan’s role
Online Critics’ Interpretation
Critics, including commenters discussing India’s longstanding accusations, said the remark raised questions about Pakistan’s relationship with cross-border terrorist networks.
Sharif’s Counterterrorism Defense
Sharif portrayed Pakistan as a bulwark against terrorism that had suffered heavily while contributing to global counterterrorism.
Current sources of terrorism
Online Critics’ Interpretation
India’s stated position is that Pakistan has supported or sheltered cross-border terrorist networks and that perpetrators, financiers and sponsors should be held accountable.
Sharif’s Counterterrorism Defense
Sharif attributed Pakistan’s current problem of externally sponsored terrorism to groups including the TTP, BLA and Majeed Brigade operating from Afghan territory.
- Original speech
- September 26, 2025, during the 80th United Nations General Assembly
- Misleading context
- The clip was shared as if it came from the ongoing 81st UN General Assembly
- Viral remark
- Sharif said terrorists not encountered by Pakistan might have been roaming the streets of New York and London, and possibly the Far East
- Pakistan’s claimed losses
- More than 90,000 deaths and $150 billion in economic losses from terrorism
- Sharif’s stated position
- Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and has been on the frontline of global counterterrorism efforts for more than two decades
- Groups named by Sharif
- The TTP, BLA and Majeed Brigade, which he accused of operating from Afghan territory
- Upcoming address
- Sharif was scheduled to address the 81st United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2026
