Imran Khan blasts Citizenship Amendment Bill, says it violates bilateral agreements

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan says he strongly condemns a proposed Indian citizenship law meant to help non-Muslim refugees of religious persecution from his country and two others.

In a tweet, he said today that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill "violates all norms of international human rights law and bilateral agreements with Pakistan".

He attacked the Modi government and the BJP's parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), claiming the citizenship bill was part of a "Hindu Rashtra" design "of expansionism".

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed early



this morning -- shortly after midnight -- by the Lok Sabha, where the government and its allies have an overwhelming majority.

The bill will be discussed in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow afternoon.

The government does not have a majority there, but is expected to receive support from neutral parties.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is hugely controversial; its critics say it is unconstitutional, and protests have been held in several parts of India against it.

A bandh called by a body of student organisations is currently underway in several states in the Northeast.