India Rejects UN Report Linking Pahalgam Attack to Myanmar Refugees
The Indian government has rejected portions of a report by a UN expert that linked the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam (Jammu & Kashmir) to the treatment of displaced persons from Myanmar residing in India. During an address to the UN Third Committee, India described the claim that refugees from Myanmar faced “severe pressure” following the attack as having “absolutely no factual bearing”.
The UN Report
The report by Thomas Andrews, Special Rapporteur on the human-rights situation in Myanmar, noted that although individuals from Myanmar were not involved in the Pahalgam incident, refugees in India were reportedly summoned, detained or threatened in its aftermath. The Indian mission held that these observations were “blinkered and baseless”.
Larger Issues at Stake
India’s rejection of the report underscores its broader concerns about narrative and sovereignty when international bodies comment on internal affairs. The government reiterated that it remains committed to addressing violence and displacement in the region through its own frameworks. Meanwhile, observers say the exchange highlights tensions between human-rights monitoring mechanisms and national security-and-migration controls.
