Geneva/New Delhi: India has lashed out at United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk for making ‘unfounded and baseless’ comments regarding Kashmir and Manipur in his global update. India took strong exception to generalised remarks that were “cherry picking” of the situation.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Arindam Bagchi, criticised the comments, calling them “cherry-picking” of situations and a stark contrast to ground realities.
“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. The people of India have repeatedly proven wrong such misplaced concerns about us,” news agency ANI quoted Bagchi as saying at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
India took particular issue with Turk’s reference to Jammu and Kashmir, which he “erroneously referred to as Kashmir”. Bagchi pointed out that this misrepresentation came at a time when the region had witnessed remarkable improvements in peace and development. “This is ironic in a year that stood out for the region’s improving security, record voter turnout in provincial elections, booming tourism, and rapid infrastructure growth,” Bagchi said.
In his global update, Turk had called for “stepped-up efforts” to address violence and displacement in Manipur. “I also call for stepped-up efforts to address violence and displacement in Manipur, based on dialogue, peacebuilding, and human rights,” he had said. Additionally, the UN’s human rights chief expressed concern over “the use of restrictive laws and harassment against human rights defenders and independent journalists”, which he claimed had led to “arbitrary detention and a diminished civic space, including in Kashmir”.
Bagchi dismissed these concerns, stating that the people of India have “repeatedly proven wrong such misplaced concerns about us”. He urged for a “better understanding of India and our civilisational ethos of diversity and openness”, which, he emphasised, continue to define the country’s democratic fabric.
Criticising the broader approach of the global update, Bagchi highlighted the “oversimplification of complex issues, sweeping and generalised remarks, usage of loose terminologies, and apparent cherry-picking of situations”.
“The High Commissioner has sensed a pervasive unease, but we would submit that a key element to addressing this is a long and hard look in the mirror by the Office of the High Commissioner,” Bagchi said.
Notably, there was no mention of Pakistan in Turk’s report, which covered conflicts and human rights concerns from Ukraine and Gaza to Afghanistan and the United States.
