United Nations, Oct 29: India has strongly condemned what it described as a “blinkered analysis” made against it in a UN report on Myanmar’s human rights situation, even as it reiterated its call for an immediate cessation of violence and inclusive political dialogue in the neighbouring country.
Delivering India’s statement during the Interactive Dialogue on the human rights situation in Myanmar at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Lok Sabha MP Dilip Saikia said New Delhi 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,” he said.
The UN’s Third Committee, which deals with human rights and humanitarian issues, was debating the worsening situation in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup and ongoing violence between the junta and resistance forces.
Saikia, who is part of a multi-party delegation led by BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari to represent India at the 80th United Nations General Assembly, said India has “consistently emphasised a people-centric approach” in its engagement with Myanmar.
Strongly criticising the remarks made by the UN Special Rapporteur against India in its report on Myanmar’s human rights situation, he said: “I express serious objections to the baseless and biased observation in the report regarding my country.”
Saikia said the claim linking the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam with displaced persons from Myanmar has absolutely no factual bearing.
“My country rejects such prejudice and blinkered analysis by the Special Rapporteur,” he said.
The parliamentarian stressed that the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar remains a “matter of deep concern” for India, particularly because of its “cross-border implications”, including the challenges posed by “transnational crimes such as drug, arms and human trafficking”.
He cautioned that India has observed an “alarming level of radicalisation” among some displaced persons, leading to “pressure and impact on the law and order situation”.
Urging the UN expert not to rely on “unverified and skewed media reports whose sole purpose appears to be maligning” India, Saikia underscored that the country is home to over 200 million Muslims, which is about 10 per cent of the world’s Muslim population, living in harmony with people of all faiths.
Citing recent examples, the BJP MP from Darrang-Udalguri in Assam, noted that following the March 2025 earthquake, India promptly launched Operation Brahma, dispatching over 1,000 metric tonnes of relief materials and deploying medical teams as the first responder.
“This built upon our earlier humanitarian initiatives, including Operation Sahayata during Typhoon Hiyaki and India’s continuous assistance during previous natural calamities,” he added.
The parliamentarian reaffirmed India’s commitment to peace and stability in the region, its engagement with ASEAN, and continued support to the UN Secretary-General’s efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution for the people of Myanmar.
India has sent two multi-party delegations to the 80th General Assembly.
The first group, headed by P P Chaudhary, was in New York between October 8 and October 14, while the Purandeswari-led team arrived on October 27.
Besides Saikia, the other members of the delegation include V D Sharma, Dilip Saikia, Rekha Sharma of the BJP, RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha, DMK’s P Wilson, TMC(M)’s G K Vasan and AAP’s Sandeep Kumar Pathak, among others. (Agencies)
