Right of Reply by India under Agenda Item 3 – General Debate at the 57th Session of the Human Rights Council (9 September - 11 October 2024), delivered by Mr. Kshitij Tyagi, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 20 September 2024

Mr. President 

We are constrained to take the floor to respond to yet another provocation by the delegation of one particular country that continues to mar the proceedings of the Council with its patently false and malicious remarks against us. In doing so, it does a great disservice to the work of the Council.

Mr. President

Facts are all it takes to demolish such false narratives.

The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, were, are, and will always be, an integral and inalienable part of India - is a fact.

Building on the successful foundation of the General Elections in 2024, the First Phase of Legislative Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed enthusiastic voting and a high voter turnout - is a fact.

The rapid pace of development in Jammu and Kashmir, with its budget more than double the bailout package this country sought from IMF - is a fact.

But perhaps, facts are lost on a country busy with propaganda. The irony of such a country making fallacious claims about India is not lost on anyone. 

Thank you