India criticizes US Religious Freedom Panel over demand to sanction RAW
Online desk: India has strongly rejected the latest report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), accusing the body of biased assessments and “misrepresentation” of facts.
In a sharp response, New Delhi questioned the authenticity of the report, particularly after the USCIRF suggested sanctions against India’s external intelligence agency, RAW, over its alleged role in “assassination” plots against ‘Khalistani’ separatists and extremists abroad, reports NDTV.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs labeled the USCIRF’s annual report as politically motivated and criticized it for misrepresenting isolated incidents to tarnish India’s reputation. The foreign ministry emphasized that India, with its 1.4 billion people practicing all religions, continues to uphold a pluralistic society, despite the USCIRF’s claims.
India dismissed the notion of targeting its intelligence agency, stating that such efforts to undermine India’s standing will not succeed. The Indian government also suggested that the USCIRF itself should be labeled an “entity of concern” due to its persistent misrepresentation of India.
The USCIRF’s report, which also called for the US government to impose sanctions on RAW, alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling BJP promoted hateful rhetoric against Muslims and other religious minorities. However, the US government is unlikely to act on these recommendations, as the USCIRF’s views are not binding on US policy.
