If Chenab rail bridge is fake, then Pakistan must be living in the ‘la-la land’, says India at UN

India delivered a sharp rebuttal to Pakistan at the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), being held from February 23 to March 31, accusing Islamabad of spreading propaganda and highlighting the developmental progress in Jammu and Kashmir.

Exercising India’s Right to Reply during the high-level segment on Wednesday, Anupama Singh, India’s representative, rejected allegations made by Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). She said the grouping had allowed itself to be used as an “echo chamber” for one-member state.

“We categorically reject these allegations,” Singh stated, accusing Pakistan’s “incessant propaganda” of being driven by envy. She reiterated India’s long-standing position that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”

Singh emphasised that the accession of the region to India in 1947 was “completely legal and irrevocable,” in line with the Indian Independence Act and international law.

Highlighting the ongoing development in the region, Singh pointed to infrastructure projects such as the Chenab Rail Bridge, described as the world’s highest railway bridge, inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir last year. “If the Chenab Rail Bridge… is fake, then Pakistan must be hallucinating or living in the ‘La-la-land,’” she remarked. She also noted that the region’s development budget is “more than double the recent bailout package” Pakistan sought from the International Monetary Fund, contrasting India’s governance and growth with Pakistan’s economic struggles.

On the topic of democratic processes, Singh criticized Pakistan, saying it was “hard to take lectures on democracy from a country where civilian governments rarely complete their terms.” She cited high voter turnout in recent elections in Jammu and Kashmir as evidence that people are rejecting terrorism and violence while supporting development.

Concluding her remarks, Singh accused Pakistan of attempting to destabilize the region through “relentless state-sponsored terrorism,” asserting that Jammu and Kashmir continues to progress politically, economically, and socially. She urged Pakistan to focus on addressing its domestic crises rather than using international platforms for grandstanding.

The exchange marks the latest instance of sharp diplomatic sparring between India and Pakistan at multilateral forums like the UNHRC over the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, reflecting the continuing tensions between the two countries over the region.

Pakistan was roasted by India at the UN Human Rights Council:

“ If the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world’s highest railway bridge inaugurated in J&K, is fake, then Pakistan must be living in lala land. The development budget of Jammu & Kashmir is more than double Pakistan’s entire… pic.twitter.com/zIEgu0Tqn4

— Mike Lima (@MikeLimaBravo12) February 26, 2026

ANI inputs