NEW DELHI: India on Friday hit back at Pakistan at the United Nations, saying Islamabad was using the international forum to spread “lies and falsehoods” about Jammu and Kashmir and urging it to address alleged human rights violations in territories under its control.India exercised its Right of Reply during a discussion on decolonisation in the Fourth Committee of the UN general assembly after Pakistan raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.“It is regrettable that Pakistan continues to abuse this august forum by peddling lies and falsehoods about the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir,” MP Mahima Kumari Mewar said while delivering India’s response.Mewar criticised Pakistan over its record of military dictatorship, elections, the imprisonment of elected leaders, religious extremism and alleged state sponsorship of terrorism. She said Islamabad should refrain from “preaching homilies” at the United Nations.“Jammu and Kashmir is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” she said.India also called on Pakistan to end grave and ongoing human rights violations in territories under its illegal occupation. Mewar alleged that people in these areas were resisting military occupation, repression, brutality and the exploitation of local resources.She further claimed that Pakistani armed forces and their proxies had killed dozens of civilians in recent months as they protested for basic rights, freedoms and necessities.Mewar is part of a 15-member parliamentary delegation visiting the United States for a familiarisation programme at the United Nations. The delegation held engagements at the world body and met members of the Indian diaspora at a reception hosted by the Consulate General of India in New York.India flags accountability, human rights at UNIndia’s response to Pakistan came amid a broader push by New Delhi on human rights, accountability and development during recent United Nations engagements.At the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which concluded on October 7, India reiterated its position on protecting human dignity without discrimination.“There must be no hierarchy of human life, no selectivity in protecting human dignity and no double standards. We regret the absence of a clear focus on the human rights of victims of terrorism,” Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, said in a video outlining India’s interventions.India also called for progress on the proposed International Covenant on the Right to Development. First Secretary Anuj Swarup urged states to work towards its early conclusion, while counsellor Gaurav Kumar Thakur said reform of global governance, development cooperation and stronger representation for developing countries remained priorities.On climate issues, India backed farmers’ access to climate-resilient seeds and called on developed countries to fulfil their climate finance commitments. Its interventions on artificial intelligence included Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s MANAV vision, with First Secretary Anupama Singh calling for AI to become more accessible and inclusive, particularly across the Global South.“AI must be democratised and become a medium of inclusion and empowerment, especially across the Global South,” Singh said.India also raised the protection of Indians working abroad, including safeguards against wage theft and passport confiscation, and highlighted its contributions to UN trust funds supporting technical cooperation and the Universal Periodic Review.On Jammu and Kashmir, counsellor Kshitij Tyagi reiterated India’s position and referred to the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, alleging that terrorists armed and trained by Pakistan had driven them from their homes.“Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. It happened in 1990 to the Kashmiri Pandits, driven from their homes by terrorists Pakistan armed, trained and sent across the border. Pakistan would better serve its people by focusing on development, rather than by coveting territory of others or exporting terror, because neither these nor its theatrics in this Council would help repay the loans its economy survives on,” Tyagi said.

India also reiterated its commitment to racial equality, citing Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle against racial discrimination, and called for continued international cooperation on development and human rights.Separately, MP Priya Saroj delivered India’s national statement at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly’s Sixth Committee on the criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission. India called for stronger cooperation between the UN and member states, effective accountability mechanisms, due process and protection for victims and witnesses.