New Delhi: With U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom condemning passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill by the Lower House of the Parliament and sought a ban on Home Minister Amit Shah and other leaders supporting it, India's former Foreign Secretary Shashank has claimed that America's international religious body doesn't consider Indian as a democratic country.
Talking exclusively to ETV Bharat on the issue, India's former Foreign Secretary who served under Vajpayee regime said, "The US Commission does not respect democracy in India. So, it feels that the US is perhaps the only democratic country in the world. And, all other countries whether they have a written constitution or not will get lectures from this commission from time to time."
Defending the Citizenship Bill, the former Foreign Secretary claimed that with this bill India is trying to help those people who have been very badly affected by human rights violations in those countries who were at one point of time part of India.
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When asked whether India's secular image has taken a hit because of this bill globally, he asserted that over the years many nations have taken India's soft nature for granted. Now, when India is responding they have problem with it.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom after the passage of Citizenship Bill in Lok Sabha said, "Religious pluralism is central to the foundations of both India and the United States and is one of our core shared values. Any religious test for citizenship undermines this basic democratic tenet."
Rejecting U.S. Commission's remark, India called it inaccurate and unwarranted. The Ministry of External Affairs also slammed the U.S. body on religious freedom that it continues to choose its prejudices with little knowledge of the subject.
On Pakistani PM Imran Khan's remark on the Citizenship Bill, the former Foreign Secretary said, "Pakistan aims to become the leader of the Islamic countries. This has been their objective since the beginning. They think that only uneducated and lowest breed of Muslims is left in India. And, all the intellectuals have moved to Pakistan."
Exposing Pakistani leadership further he said, "Apart from minorities, Pakistan has been persecuting Muslims in their own country under the boots of Pakistani Army. And, with the collaboration of people like Imran Khan, they want to present themselves as protectors of Islam. This is too much for anyone to believe."
