According to the Washington Post's Jacqueline Salmon, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom will blast India this afternoon, placing the country on its "watch list" for its inability to curb religious violence against minority faiths including Christians and Muslims. She adds that this move may not sit well, either with the government of India – of course – or frankly that of the United States.
It's also likely to annoy the State Department, which has long complained that foreign government mistakenly believe that the commission makes U.S. policy–which it doesn't. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited India in July, when the countries announced agreements to strengthen a relationship that has dramatically improved in recent years.
Yesterday, a State Department spokesperson stressed that the commission is an independent federal commission.
"It doesn't speak for the U.S. government," she said. "While the State Department considers its recommendation very carefully, it is not bound by them."
[UPDATE: The Commission's press release is here.]
