Washington: The State Department on October 7 rejected a suggestion by a US government advisory panel to declare India as a country of "particular concern" on the ground that it had tolerated "severe" violence against religious minorities.

In its annual report on international religious freedom, the State Department has, however, put India alongwith Bangladesh, Indonesia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Guatamala and Nigeria in the category of the "state neglect of the problem of discrimination against, or prosecution of, minorities or non-approved religions".

The Department has put Pakistan alongwith Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in the category of "state hostility towards minority or non-approved religions".

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom had earlier recommended to the State Department to designate India, Pakistan and 10 others as "countries of particular concern" under International Religious Freedom Act, which provides for diplomatic and economic sanctions against countries violating religious freedom.

The report said that the US Ambassador to India and other senior administration officials have publicly expressed regret and extended condolences to the victims of communal violence in Gujarat.

The report credited only Afghanistan with making a significant improvement in the area of religious freedom over the past year, saying this was brought about by the fall of the Taleban and the subsequent establishment of an interim government.

PTI