The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has sought a fresh invitation to visit India for a firsthand assessment of the state of religious freedom in the country.
The commission, which recently recommended inclusion of India in a dubious list of "countries of particular concern," says New Delhi should not block a fact-finding mission if it believes that the situation is not as bad as made out in media reports.
The recommendation has been justified on grounds of "continuing violence against Muslims and Christians" and what the panel regards as the Government's failure to adequately address the Gujarat killings issue.
"India is the only democratic country that has not extended an invitation for the commission to visit, and we would welcome that invitation," panel chairman Michael Young said while speaking to journalists in Washington.
The nine-member commission has been split down the middle over branding India as a country of particular concern. Young himself, vice-chair Felice D Gaer and commissioners Preeta Bansal and Charles J Chaput dissented last week, saying the move would be inappropriate.
Even so, Young asserted that it would be wrong to say that the commission lacked the credibility or moral force to make the recommendation against India to the State Department for follow-up action.
Defending the proposal, Young said its aim was not to invoke any sanctions, but to make the US engage more intensively with India on the question of promoting religious freedom.
According to Young, the dissent in the panel was only on whether or not to put India on the watch list. He maintained that the commission was otherwise one in voicing its concern over the attacks on religious minorities and the manner in which the ruling BJP had aligned with perpetrators of violence and hatred.
Apart from India, the commission's report has recommended designation of 10 other nations, including Pakistan, as countries of particular concern because of "egregious violations of religious freedom."