Dhaka: The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens are India’s ‘internal issues’, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said. However, he has voiced concern that any ‘uncertainty’ in the country is likely to affect its neighbours.
Amid raging protests over the controversial citizenship law across India, Momen hoped that the situation ‘cools down’ and the neighbouring country ‘can get out of it’.
“The CAB (now Citizenship Amendment Act) and the NRC (National Register of Citizens) are internal issues of India. The Indian government assured us again and again that these are their domestic issues, they are doing it because of legal and other reasons,” Momen told this agency here Sunday when asked about the CAA and the protests against it, especially in the northeastern states.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi while talking to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had assured that under no circumstances it will affect Bangladesh,” Momen added.
The Bangladesh minister asserted that his country trusts India. However, he said, “We are the No.1 friend of India. So, if there is uncertainty in India, it is likely to affect its neighbours. When there was an economic downturn in the US, it affected many countries because we live in a global world. So our fear is that if there is some uncertainty in India, it might affect its neighbours,” Momen pointed out.
“That is worrisome. We hope the situation cools down and India can get out of it…It is their internal issue. It is not our issue. They should deal with it,” pointed out Momen.
Momen had recently said Bangladesh has requested New Delhi to provide a list of Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in India, ‘if any’, to be repatriated.
Momen had also cancelled his visit to India beginning December 12, hours before he was to arrive in New Delhi. The minister had said his busy schedule coinciding with the Martyred Intellectuals Day and Victory Day and also the absence of the state minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam and the ministry’s secretary in the country made him defer his tour.
However, diplomatic sources in New Delhi had said that Momen and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan cancelled their visits to India over the situation arising out of the passage of the controversial Citizenship Bill in Parliament.
PTI