<p class="title">India on Tuesday strongly rejected a resolution adopted by Pakistan national assembly on the amended citizenship law, calling it a poorly disguised effort to divert attention from Islamabad's "appalling treatment" and "persecution" of its own religious minorities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said the resolution makes references to matters which are entirely internal to India.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We categorically reject the resolution," it said, adding that Pakistan Parliament's action was "laughable" and the neighbouring country should engage in serious self-introspection instead of making false accusations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ministry said the resolution was a thinly-veiled attempt by Pakistan to further its "false narrative" on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It seeks to provide justification for Pakistan's unrelenting support for cross-border terrorist activities in India. We are confident that such attempts will fail," it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pakistan's Parliament on Monday unanimously passed a resolution terming India's citizenship amendment law against the bilateral agreements and asked New Delhi to revoke the "discriminatory" clauses in it.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The resolution is a poorly disguised effort to divert attention from Pakistan's appalling treatment and persecution of its own religious minorities," the MEA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The demographics of these minorities, whether Hindu, Christian, Sikh or other faiths, in Pakistan speak for themselves," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The MEA said the resolution "intentionally" mischaracterizes the objectives of the new law, asserting it gives citizenship to foreigners from selected countries who are persecuted religious minorities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It does not take away the citizenship of any Indian irrespective of her or his faith," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslim religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who arrived in India till December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It is laughable that the National Assembly of Pakistan, that has itself passed discriminatory legislation against religious minorities, should point fingers at others," the MEA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We call upon Pakistan to engage in serious self-introspection rather than to falsely accuse others of what they themselves are guilty of," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Pakistan would do well to remember that India is the world's largest democracy, that all its governments have been freely and fairly elected through a universal adult franchise, and that all Indians irrespective of faith enjoy equal rights under the Constitution," the MEA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The resolution - moved in Pakistan National Assembly by Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood - said the Citizenship Act was "against international norms of equality and non-discrimination and International Human Rights Law".</p>
<p class="title">India on Tuesday strongly rejected a resolution adopted by Pakistan national assembly on the amended citizenship law, calling it a poorly disguised effort to divert attention from Islamabad's "appalling treatment" and "persecution" of its own religious minorities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said the resolution makes references to matters which are entirely internal to India.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We categorically reject the resolution," it said, adding that Pakistan Parliament's action was "laughable" and the neighbouring country should engage in serious self-introspection instead of making false accusations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The ministry said the resolution was a thinly-veiled attempt by Pakistan to further its "false narrative" on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It seeks to provide justification for Pakistan's unrelenting support for cross-border terrorist activities in India. We are confident that such attempts will fail," it added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pakistan's Parliament on Monday unanimously passed a resolution terming India's citizenship amendment law against the bilateral agreements and asked New Delhi to revoke the "discriminatory" clauses in it.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The resolution is a poorly disguised effort to divert attention from Pakistan's appalling treatment and persecution of its own religious minorities," the MEA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The demographics of these minorities, whether Hindu, Christian, Sikh or other faiths, in Pakistan speak for themselves," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The MEA said the resolution "intentionally" mischaracterizes the objectives of the new law, asserting it gives citizenship to foreigners from selected countries who are persecuted religious minorities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It does not take away the citizenship of any Indian irrespective of her or his faith," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Citizenship Amendment Act seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslim religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who arrived in India till December 31, 2014, to escape religious persecution.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It is laughable that the National Assembly of Pakistan, that has itself passed discriminatory legislation against religious minorities, should point fingers at others," the MEA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We call upon Pakistan to engage in serious self-introspection rather than to falsely accuse others of what they themselves are guilty of," it said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Pakistan would do well to remember that India is the world's largest democracy, that all its governments have been freely and fairly elected through a universal adult franchise, and that all Indians irrespective of faith enjoy equal rights under the Constitution," the MEA said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The resolution - moved in Pakistan National Assembly by Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood - said the Citizenship Act was "against international norms of equality and non-discrimination and International Human Rights Law".</p>