India slams UN Human Rights chief over Kashmir, Manipur remarks
India has slammed the United Nations (UN) human rights chief over his remarks on Kashmir and Manipur.
India said Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, had used “loose terminology” and “cherry-picked” situations to make "baseless and unfounded" comments.
Arindam Bagchi, the Permanent Representative of India to the UN and other International Organisations in Geneva, reacting at the 58th regular session of the Human Rights Council, said, "As India was mentioned by name, let me begin by emphasising that the world’s largest democracy continues to be a healthy, vibrant, and pluralistic society. Unfounded and baseless comments in the update contrast jarringly with ground realities."
Bagchi went on to add that the people of India have repeatedly proven wrong such misplaced concerns about the country and urged a better understanding of India and its civilisational ethos of diversity and openness, which continue to define its robust and often cacophonous civic space. Retorting on Jammu and Kashmir, Bagchi added,
"Nothing illustrates this divergence more than the passing reference to Jammu and Kashmir, erroneously referred to as Kashmir. Ironically, in a year that stood out for that region's improving peace and inclusive progress, be it the large turnout in provincial elections, the booming tourism, or the rapid development pace. Clearly, the global update needs a genuine update."
In his global update to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Turk had mentioned Kashmir and Manipur. While Kashmir has long had a Pakistan-supported insurgency and separatist movement, Manipur has been in the grips of ethnic violence since 2023. Turk called for "stepped-up" efforts to handle violence and displacement in Manipur on the basis of dialogue, peacebuilding, and human rights. For Kashmir, he expressed concerns over "the use of restrictive laws and harassment against human rights defenders and independent journalists resulting in arbitrary detention and a diminished civic space, including in Kashmir."
