Jaishankar Leads India’s UNGA Delegation

South Asia Brief News and analysis from India and its neighboring countries in South Asia, a region home to one-fourth of the world’s population. New Delhi’s top diplomat aims to push back against new U. S. tariffs on countries buying Russian oil. Kugelman-Michael-foreign-policy-columnist13 Michael Kugelman , the writer of Foreign Policy’s weekly South Asia Brief and a senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar holds a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha following their meeting in Kyiv on Aug. 3. Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar holds a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha following their meeting in Kyiv on Aug. 3. Genya Savilov/AFP via September 23, 2026, PM Welcome to Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief. The highlights this week: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar leads the delegation to the United Nations General Assembly for the second year in a row, three sisters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are arrested ahead of nationwide protests, and Bangladesh and India plan to resume cross-border train service. Welcome to Foreign Policy’s South Asia Brief. The highlights this week: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar leads the delegation to the United Nations General Assembly for the second year in a row, three sisters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are arrested ahead of nationwide protests, and Bangladesh and India plan to resume cross-border train service. What’s on India’s Agenda at UNGA? With all that is on the agenda at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) here in New York—the wars in Iran and Ukraine, energy security, and climate change, to name a few—it’s not a surprise that the activities of India’s top diplomat are flying below the radar. Jaishankar is leading India’s delegation to UNGA instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second year in a row. He appears in New York at a pivotal moment for the country’s foreign policy, with opportunities to advance key interests. India, impelled ’s fastest-growing major economies, continues to shine on the global stage. In recent months, it has signed and implemented new trade deals with the European Union and United Kingdom, maintained a cautious rapprochement with China, and hosted a BRICS leaders’ summit that produced a joint declaration despite a fractious membership. But India is also grappling with challenges, from its continued tensions with the United States to Pakistan’s deepening presence in the Middle East.