Living in La La Land: India Rebuts Pakistan at UN Over J&K Remarks

Exercising India’s Right to Reply during the high-level segment, Anupama Singh, India’s representative, rejected allegations made by Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), saying the grouping had allowed itself to be used as an “echo chamber” for one member state. “We categorically reject these allegations,” she said, adding that Pakistan’s “incessant propaganda now reeks of envy.”

Singh reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir “was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.” She described the region’s accession to India in 1947 as “completely legal and irrevocable,” and said the only outstanding issue was the “illegal occupation of Indian territories by Pakistan.”

Highlighting development in the region, she referred to the inauguration of the Chenab Rail Bridge — described as the world’s highest railway bridge — and said if such progress was termed fake, then Pakistan must be “hallucinating.” She also claimed that Jammu and Kashmir’s development budget exceeds Pakistan’s recent bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Responding to criticism on democracy, Singh said it was difficult to accept lectures from a country where civilian governments rarely complete their terms. She cited voter turnout in recent elections in Jammu and Kashmir as evidence that people have rejected terrorism and are choosing development.

Concluding her remarks, Singh accused Pakistan of sponsoring terrorism to destabilise the region and urged it to address its internal challenges instead of “grandstanding” at international forums.

The exchange marks the latest diplomatic sparring between India and Pakistan at multilateral platforms over Jammu and Kashmir.