Published 14:37 IST, December 12th 2019
Bangladesh government issues first response after Parliament passes CAB
In its first official reaction to the passage of CAB, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister dispelled the notion that minorities faced persecution in the country.
In its first official reaction to the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in both Houses of Parliament, Bangladesh dispelled the notion that minorities faced persecution in the country. The Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen was responding to the remarks made by several MPs in the Parliament, where they recollected the atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh. Maintaining that there was “exemplary” communal harmony in Bangladesh, Momen hinted that CAB was an internal issue of India. Furthermore, he expressed hope that India would not take steps affecting the friendly relationship between the two countries.
Rajya Sabha clears CAB
The Bill seeks to provide citizenship to the minority communities namely Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This will be applicable to the members of these communities having arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. Moreover, they will not be considered as illegal migrants. Additionally, the mandatory residence period for naturalised citizenship for these communities would be reduced to 5 years. The opposition contends that the Bill discriminates on the basis of religion, which might go against Article 14, which guarantees the right to equality. While the CAB was passed in Lok Sabha on Monday, the Upper House of the Parliament cleared the Bill on Wednesday by a majority of 125-105.
(With ANI inputs)
Updated 15:29 IST, December 12th 2019