The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) chamber crackled with tension today as India delivered a stinging rebuke to Pakistan during the seventh meeting of the 58th session. Responding to Pakistan’s latest salvo over Jammu and Kashmir, Indian diplomat Kshitij Tyagi turned the spotlight on Islamabad, branding it a “failed state surviving on international handouts” and accusing it of squandering global forums with baseless rhetoric.

The confrontation erupted when Pakistan’s Law Minister, Azam Nazeer Tarar, raised familiar allegations of rights abuses in Kashmir, a move India swiftly dismissed as a tired playbook. Tyagi, representing India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, didn’t hold back. “Pakistan thrives on instability and clings to relevance through the generosity of others,” he said, his words slicing through the room’s diplomatic hum. “Its leaders parrot falsehoods fed by a military-terror complex, wasting this council’s time.”

India’s sharp retort painted a vivid contrast: a nation focused on progress versus one mired in dysfunction. Tyagi underscored Jammu and Kashmir’s integration into India’s democratic fold, calling Pakistan’s obsession a distraction from its own governance woes. “While we build, they beg,” he quipped, a line that drew murmurs from the assembly.

Pakistan’s delegation bristled but offered no immediate counter. The exchange, witnessed by delegates from over 40 nations, reignited a decades-old feud, with India framing its neighbor as a crumbling entity propped up by foreign aid, a pointed jab at Islamabad’s economic reliance on loans from allies such as China and the IMF.

As the session adjourned, the air hung heavy with the echoes of Tyagi’s words. Outside, analysts noted the timing: India’s rising global clout juxtaposed with Pakistan’s struggles could sharpen such diplomatic duels. For now, Geneva’s halls remain a stage where old rivals trade barbs, leaving the world to watch and weigh the fallout.