USCIRF reaction against CAB is neither accurate nor warranted: MEA.
New Delhi, Dec 10 (HS): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today regretted terming it “inaccurate and unwarranted”, the strongly worded statement made by USCIRF against Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).
In a statement made by the Ministry, it said, “We regret the inaccurate and unwarranted comments made by USCIRF on CAB. They have chosen to be guided by their prejudices and biases on a matter on which they have little knowledge and no locus standi.”
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in a statement said, “If the CAB passes in both Houses of Parliament, the United States government should consider sanctions against the Home Minister [the bill was introduced by Amit Shah] and other principal leadership.” The USCIRF described the legislation as “a dangerous turn in the wrong direction”, and said it was “deeply troubled” by its passage in the Lok Sabha.
In support of the Bill, the Ministry said, “The bill provides expedited consideration for Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities already in India from certain contiguous countries. It seeks to address their present difficulties and meet their basic human rights. Such an initiative should be welcomed, not criticized by those who are genuinely committed to religious freedom.”
The Ministry also said that the CAB did not affect the existing avenues available to all communities interested in seeking citizenship from doing so. it said that the recent record of granting such citizenship would bear out the government of India’s objectivity in this regard.
“Neither the CAB nor the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process seeks to strip citizenship from any Indian citizen of any faith,” asserted the Ministry saying further, “Suggestions to that effect are motivated and unjustified.”
The Ministry in its statement further said that every nation, including the US, has the right to enumerate and validate its citizenry and to exercise this prerogative through various policies.
“Every nation, including the United States, has the right to enumerate and validate its citizenry and to exercise this prerogative through various policies,” reiterates the Ministry. The MEA further said that the position articulated by USCIRF was not surprising given its past record. If made law, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would give non-Muslim refugees from religious persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh a path to Indian citizenship.
Meanwhile, Pakistan President Imran Khan, while condemning the CAB said today, “We strongly condemn Indian Lok Sabha Citizenship Legislation which violates all all norms of international human rights law and bilateral agreements with Pak. It is part of the RSS ‘Hindu Rashtra’ design of expansionism propagated by the fascist Modi government.”
