In an apparent attempt at fanning negative publicity against the Narendra Modi government, Pakistan's president claimed on Friday that Bangladesh is worried about the fate of Muslims in Bihar in the wake of the Citizenship Amendment Bill.
Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported President Dr Arif Alvi talked about the concerns in Bangladesh during a meeting with a Saudi delegation on Friday.
Alvi had met with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on the sidelines of the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku, Azerbaijan, in October.
“I have talked to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed who is worried about the fate of Muslims in the Indian state of Bihar and feared influx of migrants to her country,” Alvi was quoted as saying by Dawn to chairman of the Saudi Shura Council, Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh.
Alvi's press secretary, Mian Jehangir Iqbal, told Dawn Sheikh Hasina had "expressed concern over amendments made in India’s Citizenship Act". Alvi claimed, "Prime Minister Hasina Wajed feared that if any action is taken against Muslims of Bihar by the Indian government, they [Muslims of Bihar] will try to migrate to Bangladesh.”
On December 4, the Narendra Modi government had cleared the draft of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there. The legislation is scheduled to be introduced in Parliament next week.
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While Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has routinely met with Modi and projected an image of robust bilateral ties in recent years, the update to the National Register of Citizens had frayed ties.
During her meeting with Modi on the sidelines of the UN Summit, Hasina had reportedly said the NRC exercise in Assam was a matter of "great concern" for Bangladesh given the prospect of deportation for lakhs of illegal immigrants.
