WASHINGTON, May 11: A US Congress-mandated commission advised the government on Wednesday to blacklist Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for alleged violation of religious freedom and beliefs. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom also sought the removal of India from the government’s list of “countries of particular concern” following “significant” improvements in that country since the defeat of the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP in 2004 polls.

The State Department annually blacklists countries for alleged religious freedom violations based on recommendations from the commission, whose 10 members are jointly appointed by President George Bush and Congress.

Last year, the department added Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam to the blacklist, which already included China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Sudan. Countries added to the department’s blacklist could face government sanctions on various fronts.

Commission chairman Preeta Bansal told reporters on Wednesday the governments of Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan “have engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”—AFP