Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned on Tuesday a new Indian bill passed by the parliament's lower house, which would grant citizenship to several religious minorities, except for Muslims who flee neighboring countries
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2019) Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned on Tuesday a new Indian bill passed by the parliament's lower house, which would grant citizenship to several religious minorities, except for Muslims who flee neighboring countries.On Monday, the Indian parliament's lower house, Lok Sabha, passed in a 311-80 vote a controversial bill allowing to grant citizenship to religious minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis, facing persecution in neighboring states. The opponents see the bill as discriminatory, in what critics say is a fresh attempt to sideline the nearly 200-million-strong Muslim minority.
"We strongly condemn Indian Lok Sabha citizenship legislation which violates all norms of int human rights law & bilateral agreements with Pak[istan]," Khan said on Twitter.
Tensions between India and Pakistan increased in August when Indian President Ram Nath Kovind signed a decree revoking Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which had ensured the special status of the Jammu and Kashmir state for decades. Under the government's new initiative, Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories that are under New Delhi's control.
Pakistan reacted angrily to India downgrading the Muslim-majority region to a territory and promised to protect Kashmiris. It expelled the Indian ambassador, halted bilateral trade and promised to raise the issue with the International Court of Justice.
