Afghanistan crisis : Union Minister Hardeeep Singh Puri says “This is why it was necessary to enact CAA”

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that developments in Afghanistan are the reason why enactment of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is necessary, while referring to the evacuations from the crisis-stricken Afghanistan.

A total of 626 people, including 228 Indians and 77 Afghan Sikhs, were flown from Kabul to India, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

Puri said, “The same people who were opposing CAA legislation when it was enacted are demanding to adjust the cut-off date today.”

“The sewadars who have come (from Afghanistan) have thanked PM Modi and Mother India that we are able to provide sanctuary and comfort to people in distress, particularly to Hindus and Sikhs,” the Union Minister added.

India carried out the evacuation missions in coordination with the US, Qatar, Tajikistan and several other friendly countries.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the recent developments in Afghanistan and agreed to continue close consultations on important issues.

Sharing a news article, Singh had tweeted, “Recent developments in our volatile neighbourhood and the way Sikhs and Hindus are going through a harrowing time are precisely why it was necessary to enact the Citizenship Amendment Act.”

With the Taliban taking over Afghanistan, countries are rushing to evacuate their citizens from the war-torn nation. The CAA allows persecuted minorities belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, and Christian communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to avail of Indian citizenshi

According to the provisions of the act, people belonging to these communities who arrived in India till December 31, 2014, due to religious persecution in these three countries will not be treated as illegal migrants but will be provided with Indian citizenship.

The Opposition parties and several groups have protested against the implementation of the CAA and said that the law coupled with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise targets the minorities in India.