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15/12/2019 | South Asia - India: Indian extremists are damaging the Peace and Stability of the whole region

Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan

There existed the Citizenship Act, 1955 in India, which was not biased and was applicable to anyone irrespective of its race, caste, religion, etc. That was Secular India. But now the extremists have hijacked the country and engaged to turn India an extremist Hindu state.

 

In this direction, Indian lower and higher legislative bodies passed a controversial amendment is the “Citizenship Act 1955” on the 10th and 11th of December 2019 respectively. The bill is to be signed by the president of India just as a formality before becoming “part of Constitution”.

The amended bill is to make illegal migrants who are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India are to be eligible for Indian citizenship. It has clearly deprived Muslims of this right.

As a matter of fact, Muslims constitute 14% of the population officially but growing rapidly. Muslims are spread all over India in various concentrations. In Kashmir, Muslims are 87% actually and the second largest population of Muslims is in Assam, where their population has reached 40% almost.

Historically, all religions were living together in harmony all over India under the Muslims rule for almost 800 years and later on for around one century under British Empire. After the partition of the sub-continent in 1947, mass immigration took place 20 million Muslims from all over India migrated to Pakistan, an almost a similar number of non-Muslims migrated from Pakistan to India. But the process of immigration never stopped throughout the history of India and Pakistan.

Before and after 1947, when East Pakistan turned into Bangladesh, due to civil war and unrest in the country and economic situation prevailing during that era, a lot of Muslims migrated to India. Assam being the close vicinity and language edge, most of Muslims preferred to migrate to Assam state in India, bordering with Bangladesh.

The extremists Hindus are scared of the growth of Muslims in India, especially in Assam. The new legislation may deprive around two million Muslims in Assam alone, from Indian citizenship. Of course, there are few Muslims who migrated to India from Afghanistan and Pakistan too, who may be affected by the new legislation.

There is a huge reaction to this legislation within India and also internationally. In India, there exists a moderate class, intellectuals and unbiased, who are sincere with India and wanted to keep the Secular Status of India unchanged. They are worried that the extremists are driving the country toward an intolerant and extremist society, which ultimately harms the whole of India. There are local human rights organizations and NGOs, several professional and political bodies, and civic society opposing this act of Indian Government. The opposition political parties have indicated to challenge the amendments in the Supreme Court of India. Widespread protests, agitations, and demonstrations are witnessed in all big cities in India, especially in the North-Eastern part of India. A curfew has been imposed in some parts of India to curtail the protests. But widespread unrest has been witnessed all over India. However, Muslims are scared and suppressed. A wide range of arrests of prominent Muslim leaders, detentions, and threats has made Muslims keep silent or under-control. The Muslims community is rather oppressed and weak, may not be able to offer any big resistance.

On International Arena, The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called for sanctions against Amit Shah and “other principal leadership” over the passage of the Bill biased bill.  Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, criticized the proposed citizenship law for violating “bilateral agreements”. Many international organizations and political figures are expressing deep concerns over the impact of biased legislation. Afraid, it will create more tension in the region and harm the peace and stability of the whole region.

Main Stream International media, like The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Post, Al Jazeera, The Independent, etc., has highlighted the issue. 

In fact, the current rulers of India are crossing all records of Human Rights violations and all norms of any civilized world. They are pushing the whole region into chaos and instability. UN may act to restore its supremacy and implement the UN Charter in its true spirit. All civilized nations should strengthen the UN and the rule of law.

***Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomate), Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan.

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2019/12/15/indian-extremists-are-damaging-the-peace-and-stability-of-the-whole-region/

Modern Diplomacy (Grecia)

 



 
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