NEW DELHI, INDIA — In a stern rebuke at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 27, 2025, India sharply criticized Pakistan for its alleged use of international platforms to spread falsehoods and foster anti-India rhetoric. Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi, representing India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, described Pakistan as a “failed state” that thrives on instability while surviving on international aid, drawing attention to its internal governance challenges.
Tyagi’s remarks came in response to earlier Pakistani allegations that India was responsible for 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 OIC by abusing it as its mouthpiece,” he said. He warned that the UN Human Rights Council’s valuable time is being wasted by a state that has failed to uphold democratic principles and basic human rights.
Echoing India’s long-held position on the disputed region, Tyagi reiterated that the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh would always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. “The unprecedented political, social, and economic progress in J&K in the past few years speaks for itself,” Tyagi added. He noted that the region’s development is a testament to the people’s growing trust in the Indian government’s commitment to reinstating normalcy in an area long marred by Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.
The Indian statement, delivered during the high-level segment of the session, also targeted Pakistan’s domestic record. Tyagi pointed out that Pakistan’s own history of human rights abuses, persecution of minorities, and systematic erosion of democratic values left it with no moral authority to lecture others on these issues. “As a country where such abuses constitute state policies and which brazenly harbours UN-sanctioned terrorists, Pakistan is in no position to lecture anyone,” he asserted. He urged Islamabad to focus on rectifying its internal misgovernance and addressing the needs of its people rather than fixating on disputes with India.
This rebuke was part of a broader series of diplomatic exchanges that have intensified over recent months. On February 19, 2025, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, had similarly emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir remain an integral part of India during an open debate at the UN Security Council. His comments underscored the Indian government’s commitment to upholding its territorial integrity despite recurring challenges from Pakistan-based groups.
India’s response at the UN reflects a long-standing diplomatic strategy aimed at countering what it calls Pakistan’s “unhealthy obsession” with Kashmir. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has repeatedly stressed on international platforms that India has maintained a robust record on human rights and democratic governance while combating terrorism. Indian officials insist that the progress made in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 is evidence of the region’s stabilization and rapid development—a sharp contrast to the internal dysfunction experienced in Pakistan.
Critics of Pakistan argue that by focusing on external propaganda rather than genuine governance reforms, Islamabad seeks to deflect attention from its own chronic issues of corruption, sectarian strife, and economic instability. Analysts suggest that India’s assertive stance at the UN not only reaffirms its own policies in Jammu and Kashmir but also aims to isolate Pakistan on global platforms by highlighting its inability to address its internal shortcomings.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s government has defended its position by alleging systematic violations of human rights in Kashmir and accusing India of denying the region’s right to self-determination. However, Indian officials dismissed these claims as “baseless and malicious,” asserting that Pakistan has repeatedly failed to address its domestic challenges. Instead, India calls on Islamabad to concentrate on providing actual governance and justice for its citizens—a message that resonates strongly with India’s broader foreign policy narrative.
Looking ahead, the latest diplomatic exchanges are expected to further polarize the longstanding differences between the two nuclear-armed neighbors at international forums. With the UN Human Rights Council serving as a battleground for these contentious debates, the current confrontation underscores how deeply entrenched the issues have become, with ramifications for regional stability and global perceptions of both nations.
As the international community observes these developments, India’s commitment to democracy and progressive governance remains the cornerstone of its diplomatic approach—while Pakistan’s future engagement with global institutions will depend largely on whether it can address the structural deficiencies that have long plagued its internal affairs.
