‘Focus On Your Own Challenges’: India Rebukes Switzerland At UNHRC Over ‘Ill-Informed’ Remarks

Last Updated:September 10, 2025, 21:21 IST

Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi said that India expects “friendly nations to respect the integrity of the council and avoid wasting time on unsubstantiated claims”.

Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi at the UNHRC meeting. (IMAGE: ANI)

Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi told Switzerland that it should focus on challenges it faces domestically from racism and xenophobia and called its remarks on India’s state of press and minorities as “shallow and ill-informed”.

The remarks were delivered at the 5th Meeting of the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) of which Switzerland is the current chair.

“As it holds the UNHRC presidency, it is all the more important for Switzerland to avoid wasting the council’s time with narratives that are blatantly false and do not do justice to the reality of India,” Tyagi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Tyagi underscored that India insists that discussions at the UNHRC be based on facts rather than “false narratives”. Tyagi added that instead of pointing fingers at India, Switzerland should focus on tackling its own challenges such as “racism, systematic discrimination and xenophobia”.

Tyagi said India is a diverse and democratic country and can help Switzerland address these. “As the world’s largest, most diverse and vibrant democracy, with a civilizational embrace of pluralism, India remains ready to help Switzerland address these concerns,” he said.

His remarks come after Switzerland on Tuesday at the UN said: “In India, we call on the Government to take effective measures to protect the minorities and uphold the rights to the freedom of expression and the freedom of the media”.

Tyagi also delivered a sharp rebuttal to Pakistan and labelled it as a “failed state” addicted to propaganda and terror.

“Our measured and proportionate response to the Pahalagm attack made that sufficiently clear. We need no lessons from a terror sponsor, no sermons from a persecutor of minorities, no advice from a state that has conjured its own credibility. India will continue to protect its citizens with unwavering resolve. We will defend our sovereignty without compromise”.

About the Author

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More

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