Pakistan PMs UN Response Exposes False 'Ask Modi' Claim Circulating Online

A misleading video circulating on social media has triggered claims that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave a sharp “Ask Modi” response to an Indian journalist who questioned him about cross-border terrorism at the United Nations.

The short clip, shared on X, carries an overlay claiming that an Indian journalist asked the Pakistani prime minister when Pakistan would stop terrorism, to which he allegedly replied, “Ask Modi.” However, available contemporaneous reports do not substantiate that version of the exchange.

Reports from the UN premises show that Sharif was confronted by an Indian journalist with questions concerning terrorism and the prosecution of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed. According to reports, the prime minister did not give the “Ask Modi” response attributed to him in the viral post and continued into the UN headquarters.

The viral claim comes amid an increasingly sharp war of words between India and Pakistan at the 81st UN General Assembly. Pakistan has repeatedly maintained that it is fighting terrorism and has accused India of supporting terrorist elements operating against Pakistan. Pakistan’s official broadcaster reported on September 25 that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reiterated the government’s resolve to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism.

The controversy also follows a separate exchange involving Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and a Pakistani journalist at UN headquarters, in which Jaishankar responded to a question about alleged Indian sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, meanwhile, used his UN address to highlight Pakistan’s position on terrorism, Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty, warning that any attempt to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of the waters would be treated as an “act of war.”