USCIRF disappointed with the US State Department

USCIRF: India-U.S. bilateral relations have developed into a “global strategic partnership”, amidst the economic rise of New India. The partnership is based on shared democratic values and increasing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional and global issues. The vision of Prime Minister Modi on development and good governance has reformed the image of ‘New India’. However, the opportunity to reinvigorate bilateral ties and enhance cooperation between the two nations, is witnessing exponential growth after the anointing of Dr. S. Jaishankar as the Foreign Minister of India.

‘Hindu Phobic’ Left Cabal in USCIRF

The leftist and religious bigots have taken over the intellectual institutions of the world. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is one such institution. The members of the commission have been endorsing ‘Hinduphobic attitude’ for ages.

A critical hullabaloo followed after the US State Department turned a blind eye to the recommendation of the agenda driven commission. The said commission had suggested the inclusion of India in the list of “countries of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.

USCIRF disappointed with the US State Department

Nury Turkel, the Chairperson of the Commission sobbingly called India an egregious violator of religious freedom. He expressed his disappointment over the State Department’s failure to recognise India. USCIRF Chair Turkel said, “The State Department’s own reporting includes numerous examples of particularly severe religious freedom violations in India.”

Despite that, India has been excluded owing to the meticulous foreign policy of India under the leadership of Dr. S. Jaishankar. The minister has been quite vocal in putting forth his disappointment after India was included in this list by the Commission. The US administration under President Biden decided to accept the disappointment of the India counterpart. The decision of the US administration illustrates the strong strategic partnership between the two democracies of the world.

Pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), the State Department re-designated 10 countries as “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs) list. The countries included are Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The State Department also added Cuba and Nicaragua to its CPC list, both of which previously had not been on the list.

In the 2022 Annual Report in April, USCIRF had recommended the re-designation of the 10 CPC countries, and also recommended inclusion of Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam. The move received strong criticism from Dr. Jaishankar, who admonished the Hinduphobic propaganda against India.

The Minister categorically burst the myth of the left cabal in the west that portrays India in bad light. They create a fake narrative of religious persecutions in India. Therefore, S Jaishankar called the recommendations ‘biased and inaccurate’. He was successful in convincing the US administration that India adopts a very progressive and secular policy in the law enforcement.

Also read: CAATSA is America’s internal problem, S Jaishankar’s unequivocal rebuttal to America

Success story: Indo-US partnership

The flurry of bilateral and multilateral talks between the Foreign Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary, Anthony Blinken have helped the two democracies develop an “Enduring Global Partnership of the 21st Century”.

The regular exchange of high-level political visits has paved the way for sustained momentum to bilateral cooperation. In addition, the wide-ranging and ever-expanding dialogues between the two leaders have laid the architecture to establish a long-term framework for India-U.S engagement.

Today, the India-U.S. bilateral cooperation has multiplied to various realms of democratic policy, covering ‘trade and investment’, ‘defense and security’ and ‘education, science and technology’ among others. The vibrant people-to-people interaction and support across the political spectrum in both countries nurture the bilateral relationship and have outpaced all other global partnerships.

The success story associated with the strong foreign policy and political deliberation between the two great nations, however, is an outcome of the marvelous and honest approach of the Foreign Minister Dr. Jaishankar in putting forth the interests of India. The Minister has been dressing down the US administration on various counts amidst the global crisis.