India delivered a sharp rebuke to Pakistan at the seventh meeting of the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Thursday (27 February), branding the country a "failed state" that survives on international aid and thrives on instability.
Addressing the UN in Geneva, India’s Permanent Mission official, Kshitij Tyagi, condemned Pakistan for spreading "falsehoods dictated by its military" and accused its leadership of exploiting international platforms to deflect from its own internal crises, reports the ANI.
His remarks came in response to allegations made by Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, who had accused India of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.
"It is regrettable to see Pakistan's leaders and delegates continuing to spread falsehoods handed down by its military-terrorist complex. Pakistan is making a mockery of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) by abusing it as its mouthpiece. It is unfortunate that this Council's time continues to be wasted by a failed state which thrives on instability and survives on international handouts. Its rhetoric reeks of hypocrisy, its actions of inhumanity and its governance of incompetence," Tyagi stated.
The Indian envoy reiterated that Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh remain "integral and inalienable" parts of India, contrasting the region's recent political and economic progress with Pakistan’s claims of unrest.
"The unprecedented political, social and economic advancements in Jammu and Kashmir in the past few years speak for themselves. These successes are a testament to the people's trust in the government's commitment to bring normalcy to a region scarred by decades of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism," he added.
Taking aim at Pakistan’s human rights record, Tyagi accused the country of systemic persecution of minorities, suppression of political dissent, and harbouring internationally sanctioned terrorists.
"Instead of its unhealthy obsession with India, Pakistan should focus on providing actual governance and justice to its own people," he asserted.
India’s remarks at the UNHRC followed a strong statement made on 19 February by its Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish. Addressing an Open Debate at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Harish reaffirmed India’s stance on Kashmir, stating:
"The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan have referred to an integral and inalienable part of India, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in his remarks. I would like to reaffirm that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and will always be, an integral and inalienable part of India."
The exchange at the UNHRC marks yet another chapter in the diplomatic sparring between India and Pakistan, with New Delhi continuing to dismiss Islamabad’s allegations as baseless propaganda while urging it to address its own internal failings.
