India strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Tuesday, condemning its recent airstrikes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that reportedly killed at least 30 people, most of them civilians.
Speaking at the 60th Session of the UNHRC, Kshitij Tyagi, Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, accused Pakistan of misusing the forum to make “baseless and provocative statements” against India.
“Instead of coveting our territory, they would do well to vacate the Indian territory under their illegal occupation and focus on rescuing an economy on life support, a polity muzzled by military dominance, and a human rights record stained by persecution,” Tyagi said. He added that Pakistan must stop “exporting terrorism, harbouring UN-proscribed terrorists, and bombing their own people.”
Tyagi urged the Human Rights Council to remain “universal, objective and non-selective,” encouraging collective efforts to promote unity and constructive engagement rather than division.
According to reports, the Pakistan Air Force carried out pre-dawn strikes in Tirah Valley’s Matre Dara village on Monday, dropping at least eight LS-6 bombs targeting Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants. The attack triggered explosions at a militant hideout, killing two TTP commanders and dozens of civilians. Local police alleged militants were using civilians as human shields.
The Pakistani government has yet to issue an official statement on the incident. Protests broke out in nearby towns as nearly 2,000 people gathered to demonstrate against the strikes.
