Who Is Petal Gahlot? 2015-Batch IFS Officer Who Responded to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif at UN for Second Time
Indian Foreign Service officer Petal Gahlot has once again become a prominent face of India’s diplomatic response at the United Nations after delivering India’s Right of Reply to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Gahlot, a 2015-batch IFS officer serving as First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, responded to Sharif’s remarks concerning Jammu and Kashmir, the Indus Waters Treaty and India-Pakistan relations.
Her latest appearance is significant because it is the second consecutive year in which Gahlot has delivered India’s Right of Reply following a UN General Assembly address by Sharif. The 2025 UN records confirm India’s Right of Reply during the 80th General Assembly session, while her latest intervention has again placed her in the middle of a high-profile diplomatic exchange between the two neighbouring countries.
What Did Petal Gahlot Say at the UN?
Gahlot’s latest response focused on several issues raised by the Pakistani prime minister. India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir was reiterated, while Pakistan’s references to peace, democracy and human rights were challenged by the Indian delegation.
A major part of the response concerned terrorism. Gahlot said India’s position on cross-border terrorism remained unchanged and called on Pakistan to take action against terrorist infrastructure and individuals wanted in India if Islamabad was genuinely committed to peace. Reports of the exchange also show her warning that continued terrorism would have consequences.
Gahlot also referred to Osama bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad, where he was located in 2011, close to Pakistan’s premier military training establishment. The reference was used by the Indian diplomat while questioning Pakistan’s assertions concerning terrorism and its record in dealing with terrorist groups.
India also reiterated its established position on Jammu and Kashmir. Gahlot described Jammu and Kashmir as an integral and inseparable part of India and responded to Pakistan’s continuing references to the territory during international forums.
India-Pakistan Exchange at the UN
The latest exchange followed Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly, in which he raised Jammu and Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty. According to reports on the proceedings, Sharif warned that any attempt by India to stop, impede or divert Pakistan’s share of Indus waters would be treated by Pakistan as an “act of war.”
India’s subsequent Right of Reply addressed those remarks as well as Pakistan’s broader references to Kashmir and bilateral relations. The exchange once again brought long-standing differences between the two countries into the General Assembly debate.
The UN General Assembly’s Right of Reply mechanism allows member-state representatives to respond to statements made by other delegations. The practice has frequently been used by India and Pakistan during their exchanges at UN forums, particularly when either side raises Kashmir, terrorism or bilateral disputes.
Who Is Petal Gahlot?
Petal Gahlot is a 2015-batch Indian Foreign Service officer who has been serving at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. Her diplomatic work has included participation in UN proceedings and representation of India’s position on a range of multilateral issues.
She joined the Permanent Mission of India to the UN as First Secretary in July 2023, according to profiles and official mission-related records cited in reports about her career. Since taking up the New York assignment, she has participated in several UN meetings and delivered Indian statements on different subjects.
Her role at the mission goes beyond India-Pakistan issues. The Permanent Mission represents India across a wide range of UN processes, including discussions involving international development, multilateral cooperation, human rights, global governance and other international affairs.
Gahlot’s latest appearance has nevertheless attracted particular attention because of the political sensitivity of the India-Pakistan exchange and the fact that she has now delivered the Indian response to Sharif at the General Assembly in successive years.
Petal Gahlot’s Career at the Ministry of External Affairs
Before moving to New York, Gahlot served in the Ministry of External Affairs, including in the Europe West Division. Reports on her career indicate that she worked as an Under Secretary between 2020 and 2023 before taking up her assignment at India’s UN mission.
Her experience in the Europe West Division gave her exposure to India’s bilateral diplomatic engagement with European countries, while her subsequent assignment in New York placed her in the multilateral diplomatic environment of the United Nations.
That combination of bilateral and multilateral experience has formed an important part of her diplomatic career. At the UN, diplomats frequently have to present national positions while also engaging with a much wider range of countries and international institutions.
Gahlot has also been involved in discussions relating to sustainable development and other multilateral subjects. A 2025 letter issued by the President of the UN General Assembly identified Petal Gahlot as an Adviser on Sustainable Development in his office and provided her UN contact details for a high-level meeting on Harmony with Nature and Living Well.
Education: Political Science, Sociology and French
Gahlot’s academic background is closely connected to the field of international affairs. Published profiles state that she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree covering Political Science, Sociology and French Literature at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
She later pursued a master’s degree in Political Science at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi. Her academic training in political science and international affairs has been followed by a career in the Indian Foreign Service, where she has worked on both bilateral and multilateral diplomatic matters.
Her educational background also includes French, an important foreign language in international diplomacy and multilateral settings. Her subsequent career at the Ministry of External Affairs and the United Nations has placed that academic foundation within a professional diplomatic environment.
Gahlot’s Interest in Music
Diplomacy is not the only area in which Petal Gahlot has attracted public interest. Profiles about the officer have also highlighted her interest in music and her abilities as a guitarist.
She has shared musical performances on social media, and published accounts have mentioned her rendition of the Italian resistance song “Bella Ciao.” The musical interest has offered a different public glimpse of an officer otherwise known primarily for her work in diplomacy and international affairs. Her public profile therefore combines her professional role as an Indian diplomat with an interest in music and performance.
She Also Responded to Sharif at the UN in 2025
The September 2026 Right of Reply was not Gahlot’s first high-profile interaction with Pakistan’s prime minister at the UN General Assembly. She also represented India during the previous year’s General Assembly proceedings after Pakistan raised issues concerning India-Pakistan relations and the 2025 conflict.
The United Nations officially recorded India’s First Right of Reply during the 80th session of the General Assembly on September 26, 2025. The UN Web TV archive identifies the event as India’s First Right of Reply during the General Debate of the 80th session.
The 2025 exchange took place against the backdrop of heightened India-Pakistan tensions following the April 2025 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir and the subsequent military confrontation between the two countries. The UN Secretary-General had separately expressed concern about the rising tensions in April 2025 and called for de-escalation.
Gahlot’s second consecutive appearance in a prominent India-Pakistan Right of Reply has consequently increased attention around her role at India’s UN mission.
Her Role at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN
The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations is responsible for representing New Delhi across the UN system and its various bodies. Diplomats posted there work on issues ranging from peace and security to development, international cooperation and other multilateral negotiations.
As First Secretary, Gahlot is part of India’s diplomatic team in New York and has represented the country’s positions in UN meetings. Her recent interventions demonstrate one of the more visible aspects of a diplomat’s work – presenting and defending India’s stated position in a multilateral forum.
Her latest Right of Reply came during the 81st session of the General Assembly, where India and Pakistan again exchanged sharply differing positions on Kashmir, terrorism and bilateral relations. Reports of the September 26 exchange show that the Indian response also criticised Pakistan’s political and human-rights record, while reaffirming India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir.
For Gahlot, the episode represents another high-profile assignment in a diplomatic career that has taken her from the Ministry of External Affairs to India’s Permanent Mission at the United Nations. Her successive appearances in the India-Pakistan exchanges at the General Assembly have now made her a recognisable figure in India’s public diplomacy at the world body.
