MEA calls Mahathir Mohamad's remark on CAA 'factually incorrect'; Malaysian PM said India is depriving Muslims of their citizenship

After visiting the media centre at the Kuala Lumpur Summit on Friday, Mahathir Mohamad had reportedly said, 'I am sorry to see that India, which claims to be a secular state, is now taking action to deprive some Muslims of their citizenship.'

|Dec 21, 2019, 13:11:58 IST

New Delhi: The External Affairs Ministry on Friday termed remarks reportedly made by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's as "factually incorrect". He was talking about the newly amended Citizenship Act and accused India of depriving some Muslims of their citizenship.The ministry also said Malaysia should refrain from commenting on the internal developments of India, especially without a right understanding of the facts.[caption id="attachment_146993" align="alignleft" width="380"]

File image of Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Reuters[/caption]After visiting the media centre at the Kuala Lumpur Summit on Friday, Mohamad had reportedly said,"I am sorry to see that India, which claims to be a secular state, is now taking action to deprive some Muslims of their citizenship.""If we do that here, you know what will happen. There will be chaos, there will be instability and everyone will suffer," he said.Responding to Mohamad's reported remarks, the ministry in a statement said, "According to media reports, the Prime Minister of Malaysia has yet again remarked on a matter that is entirely internal to India.""The Citizenship Amendment Act provides for citizenship through naturalization to be fast-tracked for non-citizens who are persecuted minorities from three countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan)," it said.The ministry said 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."Therefore, the Prime Minister of Malaysia's comment is factually inaccurate. We call upon Malaysia to refrain from commenting on internal developments in India, especially without a right understanding of the facts," it said.On 29 September, Mohamad had raised the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, alleging that India has "invaded and occupied" Jammu and Kashmir and asking New Delhi to work with Pakistan to resolve the issue.

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