Who is Petal Gahlot? First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the UN who trained Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the UN General Assembly | Today’s news
Petal Gahlot, First Secretary of India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, is back in the limelight after he gave India’s right of reply to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Responding to Sharif’s remarks on Kashmir and cross-border terrorism, Gahlot called the Pakistani government a “puppet regime”.
On Friday, after Sharif’s remarks, Gahlot said: “References have been made to the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This is an integral and inalienable part of my country and will always remain so. But if we have to talk about Kashmir, let’s focus our attention on the brutal Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Ask the people of Rawalkot who want to kill, the fundamental right and the right to kill. Long experienced.”
She also criticized Islamabad’s “longstanding” practice of cross-border terrorism and said New Delhi would exercise its right to defend itself against terrorism. Gahlot was referring to the four-day military confrontation in May last year following the launch of Operation Sindoor in India and attacks on alleged terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Who is Petal Gahlot?
Petal Gahlot is a career diplomat with experience in political science, translation and international affairs. According to her LinkedIn profile, Gahlot is based in New York and currently serves as First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
Gahlot’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science, Sociology and French Literature from St Xavier’s College. She holds an MA in Political Science and Government from Lady Shri Ram College for Women in Delhi and an MA in Language Interpretation and Translation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey.
Diplomatic career of Petal Gahlot
Gahlot served as an Undersecretary at the Ministry of External Affairs from 2020 to 2023. Later, from 2024 to 2025, she served as an adviser to the Office of the President of the United Nations General Assembly.
She also served in India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, where her work included representing India’s position on international issues. Her recent Right of Reply at the UN General Assembly again highlighted her role as an Indian diplomat representing New Delhi at the world body.
Gahlot’s previous UN General Assembly intervention
This is not the first time that Petal Gahlot has responded to the Pakistani Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly. Last year, New Delhi rejected Islamabad’s claims over Operation Sindoor and the recent conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Speaking during India’s right of reply, Gahlot accused India’s neighbor of harboring terrorists and spreading false narratives to portray its defeat as a victory.
She told the UN General Assembly that Pakistan’s military sought an early end to the fighting during Operation Sindoor after several of its airbases suffered significant damage. In a sharp rebuttal, Gahlot said, “If destroyed runways and burnt hangars are what the Prime Minister calls a victory, Pakistan can be proud of it.
