Malappuram: Amidst the violent protest in some parts of the country, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Thursday backed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, saying that it is an “extraordinary solution” in the wake of minorities from neighbouring countries fleeing religious persecution.
He said that the percentage of minorities have declined to a vast extent in the neighbouring countries – Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, while it has increased significantly in India.
“There are over 19 crore official Muslims in India. Everybody admits that the number stands at over 20 crore. At the time of partition , there were 17 per cent Hindus in Pakistan who are left with less than 1.7 per cent today. In Bangladesh, Hindus were 30 per cent, but now they have reduced to 17 per cent of the total population. Where did they disappear?, ” he said.
“Is it not an exceptional situation and it needs an extraordinary solution?” he said.
He accused Pakistan and said that it did not adhere to the Nehru-Liqayat pact to protect minorities.
Khan also quoted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as saying, ” Minorities in country like Bangladesh have to face persecution. If the situation forces them to flee, then it is our moral duty to provide them with Indian citizenship.”
