Speculation that Bangladesh FM cancelled trip to country over CAB unwarranted: India
New Delhi/IBNS: India on Thursday rubbished the speculation that Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen cancelled his trip to the country over the passage of controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Parliament calling it "unwarranted".
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "The Bangladesh side have conveyed that the Minister has changed his programme on account of domestic issues pertaining to the commemoration of the ‘Victory Day’ in Bangladesh on Dec 16.
Any speculation that this development is connected with legislation adopted by Parliament yesterday regarding the Citizenship Amendment Bill is unwarranted."
Kumar also stated the present Sheikh Hasina government is not ill-treating minorities of Bangladesh but blamed the previous governments.
The MEA spokesperson said, "The current government in Bangladesh is also taking care of religious minorities. It is making arrangements also for religious minorities, but there has been a long period in the past in between, during which people came to India on account of religious persecution. This Bill is only to give citizenship to those people who came at that time.”
Momen was due to arrive in New Delhi at 5:20 pm on Thursday and stay till Dec 14. Momen's cancellation of his India trip is viewed as the law and order situation in north-east as the Bangladesh Foreign Minister was scheduled to visit Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya.
The people of the northeastern states, particularly Assam and Tripura are protesting against the bill sensing a threat to their identity and culture.
Hours after Momen cancelled his visit, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzman Khan has also called off his India trip.
The CAB, which has now become a law with President Ram Nath Kovind's assent, will grant citizenship to all non-Muslim refugees who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan on or before Dec 31, 2014.
(Image Credit: UNI)
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