India to Switzerland: Don't preach on minorities while ignoring your own

India slammed Switzerland's remarks on minorities, offering instead to help it tackle racism, systematic discrimination, and xenophobia in the Alpine nation

India on Wednesday strongly rebuked Switzerland after the Alpine nation called for greater protection of minorities and freedom of expression in India during a session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

 

Kshitiz Tyagi, Counsellor at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, rejected the remarks as “shallow and ill-informed” and urged Switzerland to focus inward. 

#WATCH | At the 5th Meeting- 60th Session of Human Rights Council, Indian Diplomat Kshitij Tyagi says, "We would also like to respond to the surprising, shallow and ill-informed remarks made by Switzerland, a close friend and partner. As it holds the UNHRC presidency, it is all… pic.twitter.com/22R1vRJg67

— ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2025

 

Speaking at the 5th meeting of the UNHRC’s 60th session, Tyagi said: “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. Instead, it should focus on its own challenges such as racism, systematic discrimination, and xenophobia.”

 

 

Backdrop of India-Swiss ties 

The sharp comments come against the backdrop of otherwise deepening India-Swiss ties. Earlier this year, the two sides concluded the long-pending Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), with Switzerland ratifying the pact in July. The deal, which takes effect in October, is expected to drive $100 billion in investment into India over 15 years and create one million jobs.

 

India also criticises Pakistan 

During his address, Tyagi also criticised Pakistan and accused it of routine manipulation of the forum.

 

“…Our measured and proportionate response to the Pahalgam 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,” he said.

 

Calling Pakistan’s fixation on India an existential validation, Tyagi rebuked Islamabad for abusing the forum. “We are compelled once again to address provocations from a country whose own leadership recently likened it to a dump truck. Perhaps an inadvertently apt metaphor for a state that continues to deposit recycled falsehoods and stale propaganda before this distinguished Council. Pakistan’s systematic abuse of this forum, coupled with its routine manipulation of the OIC as its mouthpiece, has become a familiar pattern. Its pathological fixation on India appears to provide it with existential validation…”

 

India’s past run-ins at the UN 

This is not the first time India has faced criticism at the UN over human rights concerns. In 2023, UN Special Rapporteurs expressed alarm over the violence in Manipur, citing reports of sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, and forced displacement of the Kuki minority.

 

At the time, India had dismissed the criticism, saying: “The Permanent Mission of India completely rejects the news release as it is not only unwarranted, presumptive and misleading but also betrays a complete lack of understanding on the situation in Manipur and the steps taken by the Government of India to address it.”

 

New Delhi has consistently labelled such external assessments as politically motivated or misleading, insisting that its constitutional framework and legal protections ensure rights and safety for all citizens.