India rejects UN report linking Pahalgam attack to Myanmar refugees as ‘blinkered and baseless’

India slams UN’s Myanmar report

India has firmly rejected a United Nations report on Myanmar’s human rights situation, describing it as a “blinkered and baseless analysis” after it linked the Pahalgam terrorist attack with displaced persons from Myanmar living in India.

Delivering India’s statement at the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on Tuesday, Lok Sabha MP Dilip Saikia said that the claims made by UN Special Rapporteur Thomas H. Andrews had “no factual basis whatsoever,” calling the remarks “biased and prejudiced” against India.

“My country rejects such prejudice and blinkered analysis by the Special Rapporteur,” Saikia said.

The MP dismissed the assertion that the April 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attack was connected to Myanmar nationals, stressing that it had “no factual bearing whatsoever.”

In his report, Andrews alleged that refugees from Myanmar in India faced pressure and harassment from local authorities after the attack, even though no Myanmar citizens were involved. He also claimed that some refugees were detained and threatened with deportation.

Saikia rejected these allegations, urging the UN “not to rely on unverified and skewed media reports” that, he said, were intended to tarnish India’s image. He underlined that India is home to over 200 million Muslims, constituting about 10 per cent of the world’s Muslim population, who live peacefully alongside people of other faiths.

The MP from Assam further noted that India remains deeply concerned about Myanmar’s deteriorating situation and its spillover effects, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and human trafficking, while warning that growing radicalisation among displaced groups had created law and order challenges.

Reaffirming India’s consistent stance, Saikia said that lasting peace in Myanmar could only be achieved through inclusive political dialogue and the early restoration of democracy. India, he added, continues to support a “Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led” peace process and backs ASEAN and UN efforts to promote regional stability.

He also highlighted India’s humanitarian outreach, including Operation Brahma, launched after the March 2025 earthquake in Myanmar, and earlier relief missions such as Operation Sahayata and Operation Sadbhav.

(With inputs from PTI)