A file photo of Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamed
India has hit out at Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for questioning the Citizenship Amendment Act, terming his comments on the new legislation as “factually inaccurate.”
“The Act does not impact in any manner on the status of any citizen of India, or deprive any Indian of any faith of her or his citizenship,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Friday.
“Therefore, the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s comment is factually inaccurate,” MEA’s statement added.
Mahathir had on Friday questioned the need for bringing in the Citizenship Amendment Act, while speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing Kuala Lumpur Summit 2019 earlier in the day.
"People are dying because of this law. Why is there a necessity to do this when all the while, for 70 years, they have lived together as citizens without any problem?" he has been quoted as saying.
"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," the Malaysian leader commented. He added that if he had introduced similar legislation in his own country, it would lead to “instability” and “chaos.”
New Delhi further called upon Malaysia to refrain from commenting on India’s internal developments, “especially without a right understanding of the facts.”
Stating that the Act didn’t impact any Indian citizen whatsoever, the MEA clarified in its communication that it provided for fast-tracking of citizenship applications of minorities persecuted in the Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Around 450 delegates from 56 Muslim countries are attending the Kuala Lumpur Summit, with issues such as Islamophobia on the discussion table.
