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/