India tells UN nuclear weapons must not be treated as routine instruments of statecraft

India tells UN nuclear weapons must not be treated as routine instruments of statecraft

India, exercising its Right of Reply at the plenary meeting of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly on 9 October 2026, said nuclear weapons must not be treated as routine instruments of statecraft and that it will not bow to nuclear blackmail. Responding to remarks by Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir, India's representative said its nuclear capabilities are defensive in nature, shaped by its own security environment, and not directed against any state. He added that India's armed response in May last year, following the Pahalgam terror attack, was measured, targeted and designed to be non-escalatory.