NEW DELHI: At the 5th Meeting of the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi firmly countered Switzerland’s recent remarks on India, describing them as “unexpected, superficial and misinformed.”
During his statement, Tyagi stressed that as the presiding nation of the UNHRC, Switzerland should refrain from diverting the council’s attention with misleading narratives that fail to reflect India’s true situation.
He further pointed out that rather than casting unfounded criticism on India, Switzerland should turn its attention to internal issues such as racism, systemic discrimination and xenophobia.
Highlighting India’s democratic ethos and cultural inclusiveness, Tyagi remarked that as the world’s largest and most diverse democracy, India is always open to supporting Switzerland in tackling these challenges. He emphasized that discussions at the UNHRC must be fact-driven and free from misrepresentations, and that India expects even friendly nations to uphold the council’s integrity by avoiding baseless claims.
Switzerland, in its earlier intervention at the UN, had urged India to take stronger steps to safeguard minority rights and ensure freedom of expression as well as media independence.