Friday 05 / July / 2024
New Delhi : On March 11, the Union Home Ministry notified rules for implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and made online a portal only through which eligible individuals can seek Indian citizenship. The rules grant Indian citizenship to these refugees who had sought shelter in India before December 31, 2014.
The CAA, introduced by the Narendra Modi government and passed by Parliament in 2019, aims to provide Indian citizenship to persecuted non-Muslim migrants - including Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians - who migrated from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and arrived in India before December 31, 2014.
The applications for citizenship would have to be submitted in a completely online mode.
Following the passage of the CAA by Parliament in December 2019 and its subsequent Presidential assent, significant protests erupted in various parts of the country. The implementation of the CAA, which has been delayed for over four years, necessitated the formulation of its associated rules.
As per the manual of parliamentary procedures, the guidelines for any legislation should have been formulated within six months of receiving the presidential assent, or the government should have sought an extension from the Committees on Subordinate Legislation in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Since 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs has been regularly seeking extensions from the parliamentary committees to continue the process of framing the rules associated with the legislation.
During the past two years, over 30 district magistrates and home secretaries across nine states have been authorized with the ability to confer Indian citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians arriving from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan under the Citizenship Act of 1955.
As per the Ministry of Home Affairs annual report for 2021-22, between April 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021, a cumulative count of 1,414 individuals from non-Muslim minority communities originating from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan were granted Indian citizenship through registration or naturalization under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
Under the Citizenship Act of 1955, Indian citizenship by registration or naturalization is granted to non-Muslim minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in nine states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra.
It's notable that authorities in districts of Assam and West Bengal, both politically sensitive regions on this matter, have not been empowered with these citizenship-granting authorities thus far.
In February, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in categorical terms that CAA was brought in to provide citizenship and not to take away anyone's citizenship, amidst apprehensions from some quarters that their citizenship status might be altered.
"Minorities in our country, and specially our Muslim community, are being provoked. CAA cannot snatch away anyone's citizenship because there is no provision in the Act. CAA is an act to provide citizenship to refugees who were persecuted in Bangladesh and Pakistan," Shah had said at an event.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, non-Muslim groups such as Hindus, Sikhs, Baháis and Christians make up less than 0.3% of the population. During the first Taliban regime, militant rulers announced that Sikhs and Hindus would be forced to wear yellow badges for identification, sparking international outrage. Additionally, they were prohibited from constructing new temples and were required to pay jizya, a tax imposed on non-Muslims.
Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Sikhs have faced escalating challenges. In August, the Taliban forcibly removed the Nishan Sahib, a Sikh holy flag, from the GurdwaraThala Sahib in the Chamkani region of Paktia province. Additionally, in June 2022, a Sikh Gurdwara in Kabul was subjected to a fortified attack, resulting in casualties and injuries.
Bangladesh
The challenging situation of religious minorities in Bangladesh is a distressing reality marked by persecution, atrocities, and an appalling status quo. Despite Bangladesh's inception in 1971 with a secular constitution, Islam was officially declared the state religion in 1988, a status reaffirmed by the top court in 2016.
Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Chakma Tribal, Free Thinkers, and Atheists comprise the marginalized groups enduring discrimination along ethnic and religious lines.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, the overwhelming Muslim majority of 96.28% contrasts starkly with the small Christian population at 1.59% and Hindus at 1.60%.
The Sikh community, once vibrant, faces extinction, with conflicting estimates of their numbers.
While Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) claims that there are only 6,146 Sikhs registered in Pakistan, according to an estimate, census conducted by NGO Sikh Resource and Study Centre (SRSC), about 50,000 Sikhs still live in Pakistan.
The situation of Hindu minorities in Pakistan reveals a distressing narrative marked by inhuman treatment, relentless atrocities, and daunting challenges for survival.
