Pakistan Which Oversaw Decline Of Non-Muslim Population From 23 To 3 Per Cent, Condemns Citizenship Amendment Bill

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday (10 December) condemned the passing of India's controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, which seeks to give Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, saying that it "violates all norms of international human rights law".

In a tweet, Khan said: "We strongly condemn Indian Lok Sabha citizenship legislation which violates all norms of international human rights law and bilateral agreements with Pakistan.

"It is part of the RSS 'Hindu Rashtra' design of expansionism propagated by the fascist Modi govt."

Khan's remarks come after the draft legislation was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday (9 December) midnight after division of votes with 311 in its favour and 80 against it.

The Bill would now be moved in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (10 December) to cross its final hurdle before becoming a law to provide Indian nationality to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

It should be noted that statement by Pakistani PM comes in the backdrop of the international criticism the Islamic country has been facing over several years for persecution of the religious minority groups in the country.

Over the last 30 years, some 1,500 individuals - Christians, Hindus and people from Muslim religious minorities - have been charged under blasphemy laws, reports Asia Times.

According to some reports, the persecution of minorities in Pakistan has been going on since the partition in 1947.

“At the time of partition in 1947, almost 23 per cent of Pakistan’s population was [composed] of non-Muslim citizens. Today, the proportion of non-Muslims has declined to approximately 3 per cent,” Former Pak National Assembly member and journalist Farahnaz Ispahani was quoted in the report as saying.

(WIth inputs from IANS)