KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has questioned New Delhi’s latest citizenship legislation that notably excludes Muslims.
Speaking to the press on the sidelines of Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 (KL Summit), the prime minister voiced his concern and surprise over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that Indian legislators was passed yesterday, which offered to naturalise non-Muslim residents from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
“I think we have accepted the Indians who came to this country, the Chinese… we gave them citizenship even when they don’t qualify and they are all in the government.
“But I am sorry to see that India, which claims to be a secular state now is taking action to deprive some Muslims of their citizenship. Of course, if we do that here, you know what will happen. There will be chaos, there will be instability and everyone will suffer
“Already people are dying because of this law, so why is there a necessity to do this thing when all this while, for 70 years almost, they have lived together as citizens without any problems,” said Dr Mahathir.
In India, there have been days of protest against the law with its home minister calling for a crisis meeting to discuss the demonstrations.
A protest ban has been imposed on some parts of the country as three people were killed and thousands more arrested during clashes between Muslim protesters and law enforcement.
The law was passed at a time of growing friction between Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan, with tensions heightening as a result of the resurgent Kashmir conflict.
During the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year, Dr Mahathir also spoke critically about India’s actions in the Kashmir region, leading to a diplomatic row between the two countries.
