India condemns 'blinkered' UN report, rejects claim Pahalgam attack impacted Myanmar refugees

India has strongly condemned what it described as a "blinkered analysis" made against it in a UN report on Myanmar's human rights situation, and asserted that the claim that the Pahalgam terrorist attack impacted displaced persons from Myanmar has "absolutely no factual bearing".

India also reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, underlining that sustainable peace can only be secured through inclusive political dialogue and early restoration of democratic processes through credible and participatory elections.

Delivering India's statement during the Interactive Dialogue on the human rights situation in Myanmar at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Lok Sabha MP Dilip Saikia expressed serious objection to the "baseless and biased" observations made by the UN Special Rapporteur against India in its report on Myanmar's human rights situation.

"I express serious objections to the baseless and biased observation in the report regarding my country," he said.

Saikia strongly denounced the "biased approach" adopted by the Special Rapporteur (SR) concerning the civilian victims of the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which he said was viewed through a "communal lens".

He asserted that the claim linking the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam with displaced persons from Myanmar has absolutely "no factual bearing".

"My country rejects such prejudice and blinkered analysis by the Special Rapporteur," Saikia said.

In his recent report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Special Rapporteur Thomas H Andrews said, "Following the April 2025 terrorist attack on Hindu tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, refugees from Myanmar have been under severe pressure in India even though no individuals from Myanmar were involved in the attack."

Andrews alleged that Myanmar refugees in India "have been summoned, detained, interrogated and threatened with deportation by Indian authorities in recent months".

Urging the UN expert not to rely on "unverified and skewed media reports whose sole purpose appears to be maligning" India, Saikia underscored that the country is home to over 200 million Muslims, which is about 10 per cent of the world's Muslim population, living in harmony with people of all faiths.

The parliamentarian stressed that the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar remains a "matter of deep concern" for India, particularly because of its "cross-border implications", including the challenges posed by "transnational crimes such as drug, arms and human trafficking".

He cautioned that India has observed an "alarming level of radicalisation" among some displaced persons, leading to "pressure and impact on the law and order situation".

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are over 1.5 million refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar present in Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Thailand and Indonesia.

This figure does not include millions of others from Myanmar who reside abroad under other legal frameworks-such as those available to migrant workers-or who have had no contact with UNHCR, many of whom meet the definition of refugees under international law.

Saikia said New Delhi continues to support all initiatives aimed at fostering trust and advancing a "Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led path" toward peace, stability and democracy.

"We reiterate our consistent position calling for an immediate cessation of violence, release of political prisoners, unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive political dialogue," he said.

The lawmaker emphasised that sustainable peace can only be secured through inclusive political dialogue and the early restoration of democratic processes through credible and participatory elections.

The UN's Third Committee, which deals with human rights and humanitarian issues, was debating the worsening situation in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup and ongoing violence between the junta and resistance forces.

Saikia, who is part of a multi-party delegation led by BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari to represent India at the 80th United Nations General Assembly, said India has "consistently emphasised a people-centric approach" in its engagement with Myanmar.

The BJP MP from Darrang-Udalguri in Assam noted that following the March 2025 earthquake, India promptly launched Operation Brahma, dispatching over 1,000 metric tonnes of relief materials and deploying medical teams as the first responder. He also referred to Operation Sadbhav.

"This built upon our earlier humanitarian initiatives, including Operation Sahayata during Typhoon Hiyaki and India's continuous assistance during previous natural calamities," he added.

The parliamentarian reaffirmed India's commitment to peace and stability in the region, its engagement with ASEAN, and continued support to the UN Secretary-General's efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution for the people of Myanmar.

In another statement, Member of Parliament Sajda Ahmed addressed the session on "Disarmament Machinery".

Underscoring India's commitment to multilateralism and the ideals enshrined in the UN Charter, the All India Trinamool Congress leader stated that India accords importance to the Conference on Disarmament as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum.

She said India hopes its work will, despite the turbulent global security environment, contribute to the pursuit of collective and pragmatic solutions. India stands ready to work with fellow member states in their collective endeavour to achieve shared objectives.

India has sent two multi-party delegations to the 80th General Assembly.

The first group, headed by P P Chaudhary, was in New York between October 8 and October 14, while the Purandeswari-led team arrived on October 27.

The Indian parliamentary delegation paid floral tributes at the bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Besides Saikia, the other members of the delegation include V D Sharma, Dilip Saikia, Rekha Sharma of the BJP, RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha, DMK's P Wilson, TMC(M)'s G K Vasan and AAP's Sandeep Kumar Pathak, among others.