US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today said it wants to have freedom of religion and belief to be an integral part of the Indo-US public diplomacy.
"The reason why we placed India on the 'watch list' is because as part of our growing relationship in order to make sure that it is productive and meaningful as possible.
"We believe human rights and freedom of religion and belief in particular need to be overlaid when you talk about other important economic and security issues," Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair, told the PTI in an interview.
In making its watch list determination, the USCIRF is hoping to have constructive discussion and dialogue about how it can make sure that freedom of religion and belief is an integrated part of the public diplomacy and foreign policy between the two countries.
"Because in our view, when you protect human rights fully, when you investigate and prosecute the kind of communal and sectarian violence we discussed in our report."
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"You are creating better climate for stability and you are going to have better ability to achieve some of the objectives that Secretary Clinton discussed with some of the officials in India," he said. Leo hoped that USCIRF's watch list determination, will lead to recognition that protection of religious minorities and various forms of communal violence is one way of achieving our shared objective and vision.
"We recognise that and our hope is that by presenting in a very crisp way some of the challenges that are faced to some of the recent incidents that India would really sit down and try to come to terms of some of that development and good strategy for investigating and prosecuting the kind of misconduct and violent conduct that occurred ‘in Orissa for example," Leo said.
"By doing that, engaging in that kind of investigating and prosecuting activity you provide less space for extremist conduct. At the end of that day that creates a greater degree of stability, leads to the achievement of strategic objective that the United States and India have been discussing,” Leo said.
When asked about the Indian Government not issuing a visa to USCIRF members who were planning to go to India to have an on the spot assessment of the situation, Leo hoped that sometime in the future, the Indian Government will welcome them.
Leo hoped that the organisation will have an opportunity to talk with Indian officials in greater detail of how we can forge a productive partnership of how to ensure the utmost protection to religious minorities particularly in the wake of incidents in Orissa and Gujarat.
"We should put all this in a proper perspective. Yes, we put India on the watch list, but we also recognize that there is whole spectrum of problem around the world. For example Pakistan has far more serious problem than India.We recognize that," he said.