THE recent recommendation by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to impose sanctions on India`s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), lays bare the grim reality of India`s oppressive and authoritarian mindset.

While the West, particularly the US, continues to indulge in rhetoric about defending human rights and safeguarding minorities, its actions speak volumes about its duplicity.

The USCIRF`s call for sanctions, though non-binding, is a damning indictment of India`s escalating persecution of dissidents, minorities and political opponents. For years, India has systematically silenced those who dare to challenge its Hindutva policies.

From the brutal crackdown in occupied Kashmir to the increasing attacks on Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits and Christians, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Narendra Modi has fostered an environment of impunity, where oppression is not only encouraged, but institutionalised.

The case of Vikash Yadav, a former Indian intelligence officer indicted in the US for his involvement in an assassination plot against a Sikh separatist, exemplifies how far India is willing to go to suppress dissent even beyond its borders.

The recentsurgein terroristattacksin Pakistan, particularly those targeting security personneland civilians,has Indian fingerprints all over them.

Despite glaring evidence of India`s transnational repression and its intelligence agency`s involvement in fomenting violence beyond its borders, the global community, particularly the US and its allies, remains complicit in its silence.

The same nations that are quick to impose sanctions on adversarial states under the pretext of counterterrorismconveniently turn a blind eye when the perpetratoris a so-called `strategic partner`.

The West`s response to India`s blatant transgressions hasbeennothingshort of a farcical display of selective morality, exposing the hollowness of its selfproclaimed commitment to justice and human right s.

While the US relentlessly penalises other nations for alleged human rights abuses, its reluctance to take meaningful action againstIndiareveals the sheer depth of its hypocrisy.

As such, the current US administration, much like its predecessor, continues to prioritise geopolitical expediency over ethical responsibility, shielding India from accountability even as reports, like the USCIRF`s latest findings, lay bare its oppressive and authoritarian machinery.

This tacit endorsement of India`s unchecked aggression not only emboldens its intelligence apparatus, but also raises troubling questions about the West`s true motivations proving yet again that its slogans of democracy, human rights and justice are mere instruments of convenience rather than genuine principles.

The international community must no longer turn a blind eye to India`s egregious human rights abuses and its role in exporting terrorism to neighbouring countries. The US and its allies cannot keep preaching democracy and justice while continuously shielding India from accountability.

Now, if they genuinely believe in the principles which they claim to uphold, they must go beyond mere recommendations, and take tangible, concrete action against India`s intelligence apparatus.

Majid Burfat Karachi