India Hits Back at Pakistan at UNHRC, Calls Kashmir Remarks ‘Detached from Reality’
India dismisses allegations as propaganda, calls Pakistan’s remarks detached from reality
India, Feb 26 : India delivered a sharp response to Pakistan during the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), escalating the ongoing India Pakistan UNHRC row over Jammu and Kashmir.
Exercising its Right of Reply during the high-level segment on February 25, India’s representative Anupama Singh rejected allegations raised by Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). She accused Islamabad of misusing multilateral platforms to spread misinformation and described the OIC as becoming an “echo chamber” for one member state.
‘Living in La-La Land’ Remark
Responding to Pakistan’s claims, Singh referred to the inauguration of the Chenab Rail Bridge in Jammu and Kashmir last year, describing it as a symbol of development in the region.
“If the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge, is fake, then Pakistan must be hallucinating or living in the ‘La-la-land’,” she said, categorically rejecting the allegations and calling them propaganda driven by envy.
India Reasserts Position on Kashmir
Reaffirming New Delhi’s stance, Singh stated that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.” She described the region’s accession in 1947 as legal and irrevocable under the Indian Independence Act and international law.
She further asserted that the only outstanding issue relates to what India describes as Pakistan’s illegal occupation of certain territories, urging Islamabad to vacate areas under its control.
Development and Democracy
Highlighting economic progress in the Union Territory, Singh said the region’s development budget exceeds the recent bailout package Pakistan sought from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She contrasted governance outcomes in Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan’s internal economic challenges.
On democracy, Singh remarked that criticism from Pakistan was difficult to accept, citing voter participation in recent general and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as evidence that residents are choosing development over violence.
She concluded by accusing Pakistan of attempting to destabilise the region through state-sponsored terrorism, while asserting that Jammu and Kashmir continues to advance politically, socially and economically.
The India Pakistan UNHRC row marks the latest diplomatic confrontation between the two neighbours at international forums, where the Kashmir issue remains a recurring point of contention.
