E-Paper
‘Prejudiced, blinkered’: India slams UN expert’s report linking Pahalgam terror attack to pressure on Myanmar refugees
This was during an interactive dialogue in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly.
India has firmly rejected what it described as “baseless observations” made by a UN expert on Myanmar, who claimed that refugees from the Southeast Asian nation were “under severe pressure” after the Pahalgam terror attack.
New Delhi denounced the remarks as a “prejudiced and blinkered” analysis.
“I express serious objection to the baseless and biased observations in the report regarding my country. I strongly denounce the biased approach adopted by the Special Rapporteur of the innocent civilian victims of the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam through a biased communal lens,” Member of Parliament Dilip Saikia said on Tuesday.
Also Read | NIA charge sheet in Pahalgam terror attack case likely soon; to name Lashkar-e-Taiba, 2 locals
India ‘strongly rejected’ the observations
Delivering India’s statement on the human rights situation in Myanmar during an interactive dialogue in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, Saikia said India “strongly rejected” the observations made by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews.
In his report, Andrews had referred to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, stating that “following the April 2025 terrorist attack on Hindu tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, refugees from Myanmar have been under severe pressure in India even though no individuals from Myanmar were involved in the attack.”
According to the report, “Refugees in India told the Special Rapporteur that they have been summoned, detained, interrogated, and threatened with deportation by Indian authorities in recent months.”
Rejecting these claims, Saikia said the assertion that the Pahalgam terrorist attack “impacted displaced persons from Myanmar has absolutely no factual bearing.”
Also Read | From charger to capture: How a simple clue led to Pahalgam terror aide's arrest
‘Prejudiced and blinkered analysis’: India
“My country rejects such prejudiced and blinkered ‘analysis’ by the Special Rapporteur,” he said.
Saikia further stated that India has been witnessing “an alarming level of radicalisation among the displaced persons, leading to consequential pressure and impact on the law-and-order situation.”
“I would also urge the SR (Special Rapporteur) not to depend upon unverified and skewed media reports whose sole purpose appears to be maligning my country where people of all faiths live, including more than 200 million Muslims, which is about 10 per cent of the world’s Muslim population,” he added.
Reiterating India’s approach toward its neighbour, Saikia said the country “continues to support all initiatives aimed at fostering trust and advancing a Myanmar-owned and Myanmar-led path toward peace, stability, and democracy.”
“We reiterate our consistent position calling for an immediate cessation of violence, release of political prisoners, unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, and inclusive political dialogue. We firmly believe that sustainable peace can only be secured through inclusive political dialogue and the early restoration of democratic processes through credible and participatory elections,” he said.
‘Deteriorating’ security in Myanmar: A matter of concern'
Saikia noted that the “deteriorating” security and humanitarian conditions in Myanmar remain a matter of deep concern for India, given their cross-border implications, including “the challenges posed by transnational crimes such as drug, arms, and human trafficking.”
He underlined that India has always pursued “a people-centric approach” in its engagement with Myanmar.
Following the March 2025 earthquake, he said, India “promptly launched ‘Operation Brahma’, dispatching over 1,000 metric tonnes of relief materials and deploying medical teams as the first responder.”
This, he added, built upon earlier humanitarian efforts such as “Operation Sadbhav during Typhoon Yagi in 2024” and India’s continued assistance during previous natural disasters.
The Special Rapporteur’s report also claimed that “in early May 2025, approximately 40 Rohingya refugees, including women and children, were detained in Delhi, flown on an Indian military aircraft to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and transferred to an Indian navy vessel.”
It further alleged that “Indian authorities also deported scores of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh in May.”
“The Special Rapporteur has written to the Indian government concerning these deportations and met with government officials who pledged to report back after investigating these events. The Special Rapporteur continues to wait for this report,” the document said.
