“Pay attention” to the United States and “closely monitor” the implementation of India’s CAA

In a statement released on Thursday, the United States expressed concern about the notification Citizenship Amendment Act India also said it was closely monitoring the implementation of the controversial law.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a daily press conference: “We are concerned about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act announced on March 11.”

Miller added: “We are paying close attention to how this bill is implemented. Respect for religious freedom and equal treatment of all communities under the law are fundamental democratic principles.”

The Biden administration’s statement comes amid US Hindu groups welcome CAA launch.

Center on Monday implemented Citizenship Amendment ActOn March 11, it paved the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who arrived in India before December 31, 2014.

Amid protests from opposition parties, the government issued a press statement saying that Indian Muslims need not worry as the CAA will not affect their citizenship and assured that it would have no impact on the community and that they had equal rights with Hindus.

The BJP-led central government has consistently maintained that the primary purpose of the CAA is to grant citizenship and has guaranteed that no citizen of the country will lose citizenship due to the legislation.

Pakistan has also expressed its opposition to the enactment of the CAA, calling the law “discriminatory in nature” and claiming that it treats people differently based on their beliefs.

“Clearly, this legislation and related rules are discriminatory in nature as they treat people differently based on their beliefs,” Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.

“These regulations and laws are premised on the false assumption that minorities are persecuted in Muslim countries in the region and that India is seen as a haven for minorities,” she claimed.

“We believe that the Indian authorities would be wise to stop pre-designed targeting and systematic marginalization of minorities in India,” Baloch said.

(with PTI input)