Pakistan-born USCIRF chief seeks RSS sanctions ahead of Bhagwat visit, India fires back
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India on Friday strongly hit back at the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) over its call for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), with the Ministry of External Affairs dismissing the commission as a biased institution lacking credibility.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during a media briefing, said that the commission has
repeatedly made "incorrect and provocative" statements about India and that such statements should be ignored.
“We all know this is a biased institution. For years, it has made incorrect and provocative statements about India. We should ignore such institutions, as they have their own agendas and lack credibility,” Jaiswal said during a media briefing.
The MEA’s remarks came after USCIRF officials called for sanctions against the RSS and urged the US government not to extend high-level diplomatic courtesies or hold meetings with its leaders.
The comments came ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s scheduled visit to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom from August 25.
Bhagwat is expected to undertake the visit at the invitation of local associations and organisations associated with the Indian diaspora.
The USCIRF is currently headed by Asif Mahmood, a Pakistan-born American physician and human rights activist, who was unanimously elected its chair for the 2026-27 term in July. He was appointed to the commission in 2024 and had earlier served as its vice-chair.
Mahmood has a long record of raising the Kashmir issue in the United States and criticising India’s policies in Jammu Kashmir. His Pakistani background, engagement with Pakistani political leaders and links with Kashmir-focused advocacy groups have raised questions in India over his strong positions against New Delhi. His past advocacy has frequently focused on issues that are also strongly pushed by Pakistan and its supporters internationally.
Mahmood has also been strongly critical of the RSS and has backed USCIRF’s call for action against the organisation. He has alleged that RSS-linked groups have been involved in attacks and discrimination against religious minorities and has repeatedly pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s association with the RSS. Ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s planned visit to the US, Canada and the UK, USCIRF has called for sanctions against RSS members and urged Washington not to extend high-level diplomatic courtesies to its leaders.