he ministry of external affairs on Tuesday panned a resolution passed by Pakistan’s National Assembly condemning amendments to India’s citizenship law, describing the motion as a poorly disguised effort to divert attention from Islamabad’s appalling treatment and persecution of its religious minorities.
In a statement, the external affairs ministry also told off Pakistan for the resolution on the citizenship law that is seen by New Delhi as a “thinly-veiled attempt by Pakistan to further its false narrative” on Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
“It seeks to provide justification for Pakistan’s unrelenting support for cross-border terrorist activities in India. We are confident that such attempts will fail,” the foreign ministry statement said.
The amendment to the Citizenship Act enables six religious minorities in three countries including Pakistan to get Indian citizenship even if they entered the country illegally. Also, the law lets the government fast-track grant of citizenship. This special dispensation has been extended on the grounds that these minorities fled to India to escape persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
In its resolution, the Pakistan’s National Assembly had criticised the law that it stressed was “against international norms of equality and non-discrimination and international human rights law”.
New Delhi responded sharply, underlining that it is laughable that the National Assembly of Pakistan, which has passed discriminatory legislation against religious minorities, should point fingers at others.
India also suggested that Pakistan “engage in serious self-introspection” rather than falsely accuse others of what they themselves are guilty of.
Reminding Islamabad that India is the world’s largest democracy where all Indians enjoy equal rights under the Constitution, the external affairs ministry suggested that Pakistan should “similarly aspire to these ideals”.