Parliament Question: India's international standing

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4413 ANSWERED ON - 02/04/2026 INDIA’S INTERNATIONAL STANDING

4413. SMT. PRIYANKA CHATURVEDI

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:-

(a) whether India being recommended as a "Country of Particular Concern" by the USCIRF for the second consecutive year, with recommendations to invoke the Arms Export Control Act and impose targeted sanctions on Indian agencies, constitutes a measurable reputational cost to India’s bilateral relationship with the United States;

(b) whether Government has assessed the diplomatic impact of such recommendations on ongoing India-US defence procurement, technology transfer agreements and bilateral trade negotiations; and

(c) the concrete steps being taken to address the underlying concerns documented in the report to protect India's international standing? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a to c) Government of India does not recognize the locus standi of any foreign entity, including the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), to pronounce on matters concerning the constitutionally protected rights of Indian citizens.

The USCIRF has, for several years, relied on questionable sources and selective narratives rather than objective facts in its assessment of religious freedom in India. The Government, therefore, does not attach any credence to the findings of the Commission, nor does it consider it necessary to assess or act upon such distorted and motivated observations.

India is home to over 1.4 billion people representing virtually all major religions of the world. It is a vibrant democracy and a country that celebrates pluralism, with its Constitution guaranteeing fundamental rights to all citizens. These rights are upheld and safeguarded through a robust and time-tested judicial system, vibrant democratic institutions, with effective Parliamentary oversight, alongside a free and independent media.

The repeated attempts by the USCIRF to misrepresent isolated incidents and cast aspersions on India’s pluralistic and inclusive society reflect a deliberate agenda rather than a genuine concern for religious freedom. Its reports have therefore been categorically dismissed by Government as lacking any basis. The Government remains fully committed to upholding and protecting the rights and freedoms of all its citizens.

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