A question with respect to the CAA that arises is why the Modi government included just three nations in the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The first and most important reason behind the selection is the manner in which minorities have been persecuted. Minority population in Pakistan has fallen from 23% in 1947 to 3.5% in 2018. In Bangladesh/East Pakistan it has reduced from 22% in 1951 to 9.4% in 2018. Similarly in Afghanistan the population of minorities, primarily Sikhs and Hindus, has plummeted from about 7.7 lakhs in the 1970s to about 7,000 in 2018.
India has an ethnic connect with the people living in these three nations. The minorities in these countries were Indians before 1947 as India is a civilisation that’s thousands of years old while Pakistan was formed in 1947 and Bangladesh in 1971.
There are around 50 Islamic nations. Essentially, a Muslim refugee has many nations to settle in case he is persecuted. However if a Hindu or Sikh or Jain is persecuted then he has only India to look at for safety and dignity. Articles 6 to 11 of the Constitution talk of citizenship rights including citizenship with respect to the Partition.
As a neighbour and, more importantly, as the land of religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism it is imperative we act to support peoples of these religions.
The Nehru-Liaquat Agreement of 1950 explicitly called for equal rights, safety and dignity to minorities. Both nations promised to uphold the agreement. However Pakistan did not. For almost 70 years governments overlooked the Agreement and the unbridled persecution of minorities. Prime Minister Modi is simply upholding the Agreement and giving dignity to people who’ve lived a hellish life. Isn’t this a humanitarian gesture?
Donald Trump in 2017 said he will give preference to Christian refugees. On Christmas Boris Johnson said he will stand for persecuted Christians all over the world. Did any media house or intellectual or liberal shout against these statements? Then why is there so much exaggerated noise over the CAA, a bill that is only about giving citizenship and not denying shelter to anyone?
The CAA includes Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis and Jains. All these religions are in minority not just in Pakistan but even in India. How then is the CAA anti-minority?
The selection of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan is purely a matter of policy and how much a government wants to ease its migration laws. One country less or five country more wouldn’t have made a difference as the Constitution doesn’t call for addressing all wrongs to treat some wrongs. The selection isn’t arbitrary. It is perfectly legitimate Constitutionally and morally.
WhatsApp us