Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif walks away from questions on Hafiz Saeed
Prime Minister was asked about terrorism at UN headquarters and declined to respond.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif
Photograph: Times of India (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was asked about Hafiz Saeed and alleged harbouring of terrorists at the UN headquarters in New York.
- Sharif walked away without responding to the questions posed by journalists.
- Hafiz Saeed is designated a terrorist under Indian law and is wanted for the 26/11 Mumbai attack.
- An Indian diplomat criticised Pakistan at the UN Human Rights Council for focusing on terrorism instead of its economy.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 13 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 20 of the 33 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
86/100
Craft
87/100
Hype
30/100
33 sources · methodology
Missing from the left
None of the 13 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was approached by journalists at the United Nations headquarters in New York and asked about Hafiz Saeed and Pakistan's alleged support for terrorists. Sharif did not respond to the questions and walked away from the reporters. Hafiz Saeed is designated a terrorist under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967, is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, and is wanted in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai attack. The National Investigation Agency's supplementary chargesheet alleges that the Pahalgam terror attack on 22 April 2025 was orchestrated by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, naming Saeed as Accused No 8.
Separately, Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi addressed the UN Human Rights Council, criticising Pakistan. Tyagi stated that Pakistan should focus on its economy rather than harbouring territorial ambitions or sponsoring cross-border terrorism. He suggested Pakistan would better serve its people by focusing on development and that its hostile posturing would not help repay its loans.
Disagreement on specific questions asked
Reports differ on the exact questions posed to Prime Minister Sharif. The Hindustan Times reported that an ANI journalist asked, "Prime Minister, when will you stop harbouring terrorists?" and later, "When will you prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed?". Other reports, including those from India TV News and NDTV, also mention the question about prosecuting Hafiz Saeed. However, ABP News, Asianet News Network, TV9 Kannada, and Latestly state the question was "Prime Minister, when will you stop providing shelter to terrorists?" or similar phrasing about stopping terror.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated reports covered this story. The right-rated digests did not mention the specific details of the Pahalgam terror attack or the National Investigation Agency's supplementary chargesheet naming Hafiz Saeed as Accused No 8, which were included in the centre-rated Hindustan Times full report.
Coverage settled. We checked this 11 times and stopped on 30 Sept 2026, 06:00. The figures above are what it finished at.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left ran this story. We watched the coverage until it stopped changing, and none appeared.
Centre
2 rated outlets
- The centre-rated report from Hindustan Times led with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif being confronted with two questions about Hafiz Saeed and harbouring terrorists at the UN headquarters, and his subsequent walkaway. It detailed the questions asked by an ANI journalist and provided background on Hafiz Saeed, including his designation as a terrorist and his alleged involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack. The report also included a statement from Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi at the UN Human Rights Council, criticising Pakistan's focus on terrorism over its economy.
Right
11 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports focused on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's refusal to answer questions about Hafiz Saeed and Lashkar-e-Taiba during his UNGA visit. Headlines from Times of India, India Today, India TV News, ABP News, Republic World, NDTV, Latestly, Tribune India, and aninews.in all highlighted Sharif evading or refusing to answer these specific questions. Several of these reports mentioned the questions asked by journalists, such as "Prime Minister, when will you stop harbouring terrorists?" or "When will you prosecute Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed?" Republic World also noted India's criticism of Pakistan's focus on terrorism over its economy.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif walks away from questions on Hafiz Saeed?
- Of the 13 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 15% are rated centre, 85% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 33. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif walks away from questions on Hafiz Saeed left or right?
- The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 85% of the 13 rated outlets on it are rated right — so far this is a story carried mostly by the right. Coverage of this one has settled, so that is unlikely to move much now.
- Is the coverage of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif walks away from questions on Hafiz Saeed biased?
- Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif walks away from questions on Hafiz Saeed is one event reported by 33 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif walks away from questions on Hafiz Saeed?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif walks away from questions on Hafiz Saeed?
- 33 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What happened when Pakistan's Prime Minister was asked about Hafiz Saeed?
- At the UN headquarters in New York, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was questioned by journalists about Hafiz Saeed and alleged support for terrorists. He did not respond to the inquiries and walked away from the reporters.
- Who is Hafiz Saeed?
- Hafiz Saeed is designated a terrorist under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967. He is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attack.
- What did the Indian diplomat say at the UN?
- Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi addressed the UN Human Rights Council, criticising Pakistan. He stated that Pakistan should concentrate on its economy rather than sponsoring terrorism or pursuing territorial ambitions.
Read it at the source
33 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
2- Facing crisis at home, Shehbaz Sharif to address UNGA on Friday; evades question on support for terror (opens Devdiscourse in a new tab)
Devdiscourse — is Devdiscourse biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 2 questions, no answer: Pakistan PM Sharif confronted at UN over Hafiz Saeed, harbouring terrorists (opens Hindustan Times in a new tab)
Hindustan Times — is Hindustan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
11- Pak PM Sharif dodges questions on Hafiz Saeed, terror at UN (opens rediff.com in a new tab)
rediff.com — is rediff.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- When Will You Punish Terrorist Hafiz Saeed? Pakistan PM Shahbaz Fled After a Journalist Asked Him. (opens आज तक in a new tab)
आज तक
- Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Evades Terror Questions at UNGA, Walks Away (opens India Today in a new tab)
India Today — is India Today biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'When will you prosecute Hafiz Saeed?' Shehbaz Sharif confronted at UN, Pakistan PM refuses to answer (opens India TV News in a new tab)
India TV News — is India TV News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Reporter Confronts Shehbaz Sharif At UN Over Hafiz Saeed, He Walks Away: WATCH (opens ABP News in a new tab)
- Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Refuses to Answer Questions on Hafiz Saeed, Let During UNGA Visit (opens Republic World in a new tab)
Republic World — is Republic World biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Reporter Questions Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif About Hafiz Saeed At UN, He Walks Away (opens NDTV in a new tab)
- Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif refuses to answer questions on Hafiz Saeed, LeT during UNGA visit (opens Times of India in a new tab)
Times of India — is Times of India biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 3 more
- Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif Refuses to Answer Questions on Hafiz Saeed, LeT During UNGA Visit (opens Latestly in a new tab)
- Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif refuses to answer questions on Hafiz Saeed, LeT during UNGA visit - The Tribune (opens Tribune India in a new tab)
Tribune India — is Tribune India biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif refuses to answer questions on Hafiz Saeed, LeT during UNGA visit (opens aninews.in in a new tab)
aninews.in — is aninews.in biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
20- PM Shehbaz UN Speech: Shahbaz Surrounded by Terrorist Hafiz... Embarrassed Again in UN (opens TV9 Hindi in a new tab)
TV9 Hindi — is TV9 Hindi biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Oh My, Pakistan's Big Mistake, Time for the Prime Minister to Hide His Face and Run, Straight to the United Nations.. (opens TV9 Marathi in a new tab)
TV9 Marathi — is TV9 Marathi biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Pakistan Faces Embarrassment at the UN: Media Asks, "When Will You Stop Harboring Terrorists?" Prime Minister Shahbaz Flees. (opens panchjanya.com in a new tab)
panchjanya.com — is panchjanya.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Shehbaz Sharif was seen avoiding questions on terrorism in the United Nations, did not answer on Hafiz Saeed (opens AnyTV News in a new tab)
AnyTV News
- Pakistan Once Again Humiliated in Front of the World, Shahbaz Sharif Flees upon Hearing Hafiz Saeed's Name at UNGA, Video Goes Viral (opens navbharatlive.com in a new tab)
navbharatlive.com — is navbharatlive.com biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Shehbaz Sharif chooses not to respond to questions on Hafiz Saeed at UN - The Canadian Media (opens thecanadianmedia.com in a new tab)
thecanadianmedia.com — is thecanadianmedia.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Shehbaz Sharif Evades Questions On Hafiz Saeed At UN Headquarters In New York (opens Zoom News in a new tab)
- ‘When Will You Stop Harbouring Terrorists?’: Shehbaz Sharif Dodges Questions on Hafiz Saeed at UN (opens Yes Punjab in a new tab)
Yes Punjab — is Yes Punjab biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 12 more
- 'When Will Hafiz Saeed Be Tried?' Pak PM Shahbaz Sharif Remains Silent After Hearing the Question at the UN. (opens uttamhindu.com in a new tab)
uttamhindu.com — is uttamhindu.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Silenced Over State-Sponsored Terror: Shehbaz Sharif Evades Questions On Lashkar-e-Taiba Terrorist Hafiz Saeed At UNGA (opens indiandefensenews.in in a new tab)
indiandefensenews.in — is indiandefensenews.in biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Shehbaz Sharif Faces Questions On Terrorism Outside UNGA; Refuses To Reply (opens ODISHA BYTES in a new tab)
ODISHA BYTES — is ODISHA BYTES biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘When will you stop harbouring terrorists?’: Shehbaz Sharif dodges question over Pakistan’s terror links at UN (opens Indian Abroad News in a new tab)
Indian Abroad News — is Indian Abroad News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'When Will Hafiz Saeed Be Tried?'; Shehbaz Sharif Is Asked by Journalists at the UN, but the Pakistani Prime Minister Remains Silent (opens Janam TV in a new tab)
- Shahbaz Remained Silent on Hafiz Saeed and Terrorism, and He Avoided Questions at the UNGA. (opens Prabhat Khabar in a new tab)
Prabhat Khabar — is Prabhat Khabar biased? Our profile of this outlet
- ‘When will you stop harbouring terrorists?’: Shehbaz Sharif dodges question over Pakistan’s terror links at UN (opens Social News XYZ in a new tab)
Social News XYZ — is Social News XYZ biased? Our profile of this outlet
- 'When Will Hafiz Saeed Be Tried?'; Pakistan Prime Minister Fails to Answer Questions at UN Headquarters (opens Mathrubhumi in a new tab)
Mathrubhumi — is Mathrubhumi biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Shehbaz Sharif confronted over Hafiz Saeed at UN, Pakistan PM declines to respond - Connected to India News I Singapore l UAE l UK l USA l NRI (opens connectedtoindia.com in a new tab)
connectedtoindia.com — is connectedtoindia.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- When Will You Stop Giving Shelter to Terrorists?; Question to Pakistan Prime Minister at UN Headquarters; Shahbaz Sharif Does Not Answer (opens Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd in a new tab)
Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd — is Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Pak PM Turns Away From Hafiz Saeed Question at UN: Shehbaz Sharif Leaves the Floor without Answering (opens TV9 Kannada in a new tab)
TV9 Kannada — is TV9 Kannada biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Shahbaz Sharif Ran Away From a Journalist's Question at the UN, Left the Headquarters without Answering - India TV Hindi (opens India TV Hindi Hindi in a new tab)
India TV Hindi Hindi — is India TV Hindi Hindi biased? Our profile of this outlet
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