U.S. Commission flags alleged systematic violations of religious freedom in India
New Delhi: The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has raised concerns over what it describes as a deteriorating state of religious freedom in India. In its annual report, the commission has recommended that the U.S. State Department designate India as a "Country of Particular Concern" for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.
Authored by senior policy analyst Sema Hasan, the report highlights the use of misinformation and disinformation, including hate speech by government officials, to incite violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship. It states that throughout 2024, individuals have been killed, beaten, and lynched by vigilante groups, religious leaders have been arbitrarily arrested, and homes and places of worship have been demolished, which it classified as severe violations of religious freedom.
The report further criticises changes to and enforcement of India's legal framework, which it claims target and disenfranchise religious minorities. It cited examples such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a uniform civil code, and various state-level anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws.
India has consistently denied visas to USCIRF members since the tenure of the Manmohan Singh-led government, citing "interference" in its internal affairs. The State Department has so far refrained from accepting the commission's recommendation to categorise India as a "Country of Particular Concern."
Several Indian and Indian-American groups have accused the USCIRF of biased and agenda-driven reporting, aimed at tarnishing India's image.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
