'What kind of confession is this?': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 'terrorists would be roaming New York' remark goes viral, raises alarm online. Watch
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'What kind of confession is this?': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 'terrorists would be roaming New York' remark goes viral, raises alarm online. Watch")
Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. Photograph: (AFP)
A remark by Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif about terrorists “roaming” the streets of New York and London has resurfaced on social media ahead of his UNGA81 address. But what exactly did he say, and when was it actually spoken? All you need to know.
A remark made by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the United Nations is doing the rounds on social media, raising alarm. Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly 2025, the Pakistan PM had stated, “Had these terrorists not been encountered by us, they would have been roaming on the streets of New York and London.”
The remark has now resurfaced ahead of his scheduled address to the 81st UN General Assembly, with users raising questions over what they see as an extraordinary description of Pakistan's confession on terrorism.
Notably, the clip being widely shared is not from the 81st UNGA in 2026. Sharif is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 25 this year. The viral excerpt is from his speech to the 80th UN General Assembly on September 26, 2025. The official UN transcript confirms the wording.
Also read | India at UNGA81: Jaishankar warns global order under 'growing stress', pushes for ‘reformed multilateralism’
What did Sharif say about Pakistan and terrorism?
Speaking about Pakistan's counterterrorism record during last year's address, Sharif said: “Had these terrorists not been encountered by us, they would have been roaming on the streets of New York and London and God knows, Far East.”
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
He presented Pakistan as a “bulwark” against terrorism and described its counterterrorism efforts as a contribution to people beyond Pakistan. The remarks were made while he was arguing that Pakistan had suffered heavily from terrorism and had been on the frontline of the global fight against it.
‘What kind of confession is this?’: Social media reacts
The resurfaced clip has triggered a stream of reactions with users questioning the wording used by the Pakistani prime minister.
One widely shared post described the remark as an “admission” that terrorists were present in Pakistan and would otherwise have reached cities such as New York and London.
Another user wrote: “Wait… what kind of confession is this?” The post focused on Sharif's use of the phrase “encountered by us”, asking whether this meant terrorists were being “controlled” inside Pakistan and what that implied about their presence there.
Other posts went further, asking whether “control” could be interpreted as tolerance, containment, safe haven, funding, training or use as an instrument of state policy.
Also read | Jammu and Kashmir: Indian army on high alert after suspected Pakistani drone sighting over LoC in Rajouri
What Sharif said before the viral line
Sharif first said Pakistan condemned terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations” and claimed that the country had been at the frontline of global counterterrorism efforts for more than two decades. He said Pakistan had suffered more than 90,000 deaths and $150 billion in economic losses.
He then argued that terrorism crossed national boundaries, saying a person killed in New York was comparable to one killed in Lahore and that terrorism had to be defeated globally. It was immediately after this argument that he said terrorists, had they not been “encountered” by Pakistan, could have been roaming the streets of New York and London.
Sharif subsequently shifted to what he described as Pakistan's current problem of “externally sponsored terrorism”, naming groups including the TTP, BLA and Majeed Brigade and accusing them of operating from Afghan territory.
India has long raised the issue of cross-border terrorism
The resurfaced remark is particularly sensitive in India because New Delhi has repeatedly accused Pakistan of supporting or sheltering cross-border terrorist networks.
In a UN right-of-reply statement in October 2025, India's Permanent Mission to the UN said the international community had witnessed Pakistan's alleged sponsorship of cross-border terrorism and accused Islamabad of using terrorism as a tool of state policy directed against India.
India has also made a broader case at the UN for holding not only perpetrators but also financiers and sponsors of terrorism accountable. Its stated position for the 81st UNGA includes opposition to double standards in counterterrorism.
Viral clip comes before Sharif’s 2026 UNGA address
Sharif arrived in New York this week for the 81st UN General Assembly. Pakistan's government says his September 25 speech will address regional and global security, terrorism, climate change, development and other international issues. That makes the resurfacing of the 2025 clip particularly notable. Social media users are now scrutinising the old remarks ahead of Sharif's appearance.
