WASHINGTON: Describing the amended Citizenship Act as humanitarian, a group of individuals and organizations, representing religious and ethnic minorities of Bangladesh, have said that through the law, India has partially fulfilled its duty towards millions of non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had to flee to the country in recent years but could not claim their rights.
According to the Citizenship Amendment Act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship.
"Through this Act, India has partially fulfilled its duty to the millions of non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who had to flee to India in recent years, but could not claim their rights in India. CAA has given them the right," the group said in a statement on Wednesday.
"We, the expatriate Hindus and other religious and ethnic minorities of Bangladesh living around the globe fully support the Citizenship Amendment Act (2019) passed by the Parliament of India. This is a humanitarian act towards humanity," the statement, signed by eminent individuals and top organizations from about a dozen countries, said.
The organisations that signed the statement include Bangladesh Minority Coalition (USA), Bangladesh Minority Rights Alliance (Canada), Bangladesh Minority Council (Switzerland), Bangladesh Hindu Coalition (USA), and Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (France).
"We hope the Indian Government will continue to work for the wellbeing of the beleaguered non-Muslim population of Bangladesh," it said.