Published 16:20 IST, December 9th 2019
UP Shia Central Waqf Board writes to Amit Shah: Include Shia community in CAB
Shia Central Waqf Board Chairman has written a letter to Home Minister requesting him to include the community in the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Home Minister Amit Shah. The opposition leaders have said that the Bill is discriminatory in nature and is against the minorities.
Protect Shias from atrocities
The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi wrote a letter to the Home Minister Amit Shah, where he has pointed that in other countries where Shia are in a minority, they have faced extreme inhumanity and are also being murdered. In the letter, he has asked Shah to protect Shias from atrocities.
Rizvi, in the letter wrote, "I would like to draw your attention towards the fact that in Pakitan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and also in Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya and other countries wherever Sunni are in majority and Shia are in minority, Shia's are subjected to extreme inhumanity and are being murdered. Keeping in view I request you to include Shia's in the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 to save Shia community from atrocities."
There was heavy discussion and debate in the Lower House of the Parliament with various opposition leaders opposing the Bill and demanding that the Bill should not be even considered for discussion, all of which culminated in the government winning a vote on the bill's tabling.
CAB tabled in Lok Sabha
The Bill was debated for around 90 minutes in the Lok Sabha and was later put down to vote for it to be introduced. The Lok Sabha on Monday approved the tabling of the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 with 293 votes for and 82 votes against it.
The Bill aims to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make refugees who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship, as explained by PRS. While the Bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in July 2016, this bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee which filed its report in January 2019. The Bill was then finally passed by the Lok Sabha in January 2019 but lapsed in the Rajya Sabha. The new draft which is to be tabled by the Home Minister has added exemptions for some northeastern states.
Defending the Bill during the Lok Sabha debate, Home Minister Shah said, "This bill is not even .001% against minorities. It is against infiltrators. Muslim refugees can apply separately and the government will consider such cases".
(with ANI inputs)
Updated 17:15 IST, December 9th 2019