NA asks India to revoke Amended Citizenship Act.

Byline: Javaid-ur-Rahman

ISLAMABAD -- The National Assembly in Monday's session unanimously passed a resolution condemning the India's Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, a discriminatory law enacted by the Indian Parliament last week.

The resolution, moved by Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood, called upon India to immediately revoke the discriminatory clauses in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019.

It also called upon India to immediately halt the brutal use of force against the religious minorities, particularly Indian Muslim students, release peaceful protesters detained during the crackdown against minorities and lift curfew and end information blackout from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and respect UNSC resolutions.

The resolution says the new Indian law is based on falsehood, and distortion of facts relating to treatment of minorities in neighbouring countries. It states that the controversial amendment is against international norms of equality and non-discrimination and International Human Rights Law as it seeks to set up a faith-based criteria for a group of citizenship.

It states that this amendment is also against bilateral agreements and understandings between India and Pakistan particularly those on security and rights of minorities in the respective countries.

It also stresses that status of minorities in India remains deplorable and points to instances of persecution of minorities including mob lynching, targeting Muslims and low caste dalits by cow-vigilantes from extremist Hindu organisations like Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, schemes likes Ghar Wapsi and 'Love Jihad' and violence against Christians and other minorities.

It underlines that the new Act ostensibly tries to give the impression that it aims to provide protection to minorities from neighbouring countries while ignoring the fact that the rights of minorities in India continue to be violated.

It reaffirms its solidarity and commitment to the people of Indian-occupied Kashmir in their just struggle for their rights to self-determination and reiterates its continuing political and moral struggle for this just struggle in line with UN Security Council Resolution.

It reiterates the recent anti-Muslim actions of BJP/RSS-led government like revocation of Article 370 from Indian Constitution and illegal annexation of the IOK, and collective incarceration and violations of the rights of more than 8 million innocent...