New Delhi: After the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its annual report, once again asked the US Department of State to designate India as a 'country of particular concern', the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State Vedant Patel on Tuesday said the report’s recommendations for designations overlap for some extent with the State Department’s lists of 'country of particular concern', saying it is not entirely conclusive.
This is for the fourth consecutive year, that USCIRF has recommended India be added to a religious freedom blacklist, citing the condition of the religious minorities in the country has worsened throughout 2022. The US independent panel has made appeals for the designation since 2020. It accuses the Indian government of systematic, ongoing violations of religious freedom thereby opening the door to economic sanctions.
In response to a media query on whether the State Department is going to consider, including India in the CPC countries, Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department Vedant Patel said, "The US Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent US Commission established to provide policy recommendations to the President, to the Secretary of State, and Congress. It is not a branch of the State Department or the Executive Branch, and its report reflects the importance of religious freedom to the American people".
Also read: India slams USCIRF for 'misrepresenting' facts
"While the report’s recommendations for designations overlap to some extent with the State Department’s lists of 'countries of particular concern', it is not entirely conclusive. The governments or other entities that have questions or comments about this report should reach out to the Commission directly", he added.
Notably, the US independent panel on religious freedom offers recommendations and cannot set policy. It is very unlikely that the state department would accept the panel's recommendation as the US and India have continued to bolster ties to counter China's growing aggressiveness.
The panel in its report further asserted that the present Indian government continued to suppress critical voices, especially the Muslims. The report also mentioned that the current Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif weaponized the blasphemy laws against Imran Khan and his Cabinet member, which resulted in an assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Responding on the matter, the US State Department spokesperson further said, "We strongly oppose laws that impede the ability of any individuals – irrespective of their national identity – to choose a faith, practice a faith, change their religion, not have a religion, or tell others about their religious beliefs and practices". Meanwhile, the Indian American Muslim Council welcomed the USCIRF's decision to recommend India as a 'Country of Particular Concern' for its severe violations of human rights and religious freedoms for the fourth consecutive year.
In response to media queries regarding comments on India in USCIRF’s annual report, the Official Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said,
"The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) continues to regurgitate biased and motivated comments about India, this time in its 2023 annual report. We reject such misrepresentation of facts, which only serves to discredit USCIRF itself. We would urge USCIRF to desist from such efforts and develop a better understanding of India, its plurality, its democratic ethos, and its constitutional mechanisms."
