'Pakistan living in ‘La-La Land’: India slams Pakistan at UNHRC over Jammu and Kashmir remarks

India delivered a sharp rebuttal to Pakistan at the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council

India issued a strong rebuttal to Pakistan during the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), currently underway from February 23 to March 31, accusing Islamabad of spreading misinformation and using multilateral platforms for propaganda on Jammu and Kashmir.

Exercising its Right of Reply during the high-level segment on February 25, India’s representative Anupama Singh rejected allegations raised by Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), asserting that the grouping had allowed itself to become an “echo chamber” for one member state.

"If the Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest bridge, inaugurated in Jammu and Kashmir last year, is fake, then Pakistan must be hallucinating or living in the 'La-la-land'," she said. "We categorically reject these allegations," Singh said, adding that Pakistan's "incessant propaganda now reeks of envy."

VIDEO | Switzerland: At the High-Level Segment of the 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council, First Secretary, Anupama Singh in Geneva, says, “India is compelled to exercise its right of reply in response to the references made during the high-level segment by… pic.twitter.com/uHOrmIEf4g

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 26, 2026

Reaffirming New Delhi’s position, she stated 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," in line with the Indian Independence Act and international law.

"The only outstanding dispute regarding this region is the illegal occupation of Indian territories by Pakistan," she said, urging Islamabad to vacate areas under its control.

Highlighting infrastructure and economic progress in the Union Territory, Singh referred to the inauguration of the Chenab Rail Bridge last year.

She further claimed that the development budget of Jammu and Kashmir is "more than double the recent bailout package" Pakistan sought from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), drawing a contrast between governance outcomes in the region and Pakistan’s economic challenges.

Responding to criticism related to democratic processes, Singh remarked that it was "hard to take lectures on democracy from a country where civilian governments rarely complete their terms." She pointed to voter participation in recent general and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as evidence that residents have "rejected the ideology of terrorism and violence" and are choosing a path of development.

Concluding her remarks, Singh accused Pakistan of attempting to destabilise the region through "relentless state-sponsored terrorism," while maintaining that Jammu and Kashmir continues to advance politically, economically and socially.

"Pakistan would do well if it focuses on fixing its deepening internal crisis rather than masking it with grandstanding at such a platform," she said, adding that "the world can certainly see through its charade."

The exchange marks the latest diplomatic face-off between India and Pakistan at international forums, particularly at the UNHRC, where the issue of Jammu and Kashmir frequently surfaces.