Right of Reply by India under Agenda Item 2: General Debate on the oral update by the High Commissioner at the 60th Session of Human Rights Council (08 September-08 October 2025) delivered by Mr. Kshitij Tyagi, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 10 September 2025

Mr. President,

We take the floor today to respond to certain delegations that have made remarks regarding India.

We are compelled, once again, to address provocations from a country whose own leadership recently likened it to a "dump truck", perhaps an inadvertently apt metaphor for a state that continues to deposit recycled falsehoods and stale propaganda before this distinguished Council.

Pakistan's systematic abuse of this forum, coupled with its routine manipulation of the OIC as its mouthpiece, has become a familiar pattern. Its pathological fixation on India appears to provide it with existential validation.

Yet, we must respond, lest we forget.

Lest we forget the carnage of Pahalgam, where Pakistan-sponsored terrorists turned a meadow of joy into a killing field in April this year.

Lest we forget 9/11, as the world marks its anniversary tomorrow, even as we witness today the hypocrisy of those who sheltered its mastermind and glorified him as a martyr.

Lest we forget Pulwama, Uri, Pathankot, Mumbai... The list is endless, Mr. President.

Yet Pakistan demonstrates the audacity to take the floor today, feigning moral outrage while continuing to finance and shelter the very networks that threaten global security. The international community recognizes this charade for what it is.

The world will not forget. India will not forget. Our measured and proportionate response to the Pahalgam attack made that sufficiently clear.

We need no lessons from a terror sponsor; no sermons from a persecutor of minorities; no advice from a state that has squandered its own credibility.

Mr. President, 

India will continue to protect its citizens with unwavering resolve. We will defend our sovereignty without compromise. And we will continue to expose, time and again, the elaborate deception of a failed state whose survival depends upon trafficking in terror and tragedy.

Mr. President,

We would also like to respond to the surprising, shallow, and ill-informed remarks made by Switzerland, a close friend and partner. As it holds the UNHRC Presidency, it is all the more important for Switzerland to avoid wasting the Council’s time with narratives that are blatantly false and do not do justice to the reality of India. Instead, it should focus on its own challenges such as racism, systematic discrimination, and xenophobia. As the world’s largest, most diverse, and vibrant democracy with a civilizational embrace of pluralism, India remains ready to help Switzerland address these concerns.

Thank you.