Pak PM Imran Khan condemns Citizenship Amendment Bill

New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan stated that he strongly condemns the amendment of Citizenship Bill which proposes that Indian citizenship rules must be relaxed to accommodate non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

The Prime Minster took to Twitter today to state that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill "violates all norms of international human rights law and bilateral agreements with Pakistan".

He went on to add that the Modi government and BJP's parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have proposed to amend the Citizenship Bill as part of a "Hindu Rashtra" design "of expansionism".

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed early this morning by members of the Lok Sabha, where the government and its allies had an overwhelming majority. The discussion in the Lok Sabha went on for around seven hours, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that it is not the government's agenda to be against the minorities of India. Speaking on behalf of the government, he said that the Bill has been put up for amendment claiming that non-Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are facing prosecution.

The bill will be discussed in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow afternoon around 3 PM and six hours have been set aside only to discuss this issue. According to political analysts, the government does not enjoy a majority in the Rajya Sabha, but is expected to receive support from neutral parties.

Several leaders including P Chidambaram, Shashi Tharoor, Asauddin Owaisi have condemned the Bill, stating that it is unconstitutional. Protests are underway in many parts of north east India against the bill. A 12-hour bandh in Assam called by a conglomeration of student bodies has forced certain universities to postpone the exams scheduled for today.