New Delhi: India on Saturday summoned the Malaysian Charge d’Affaires in New Delhi and lodged a strong protest over remarks made on Friday by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
New Delhi conveyed that “such remarks are neither in keeping with accepted diplomatic practice of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, nor with the state of our bilateral relations” and that “such remarks are both ill-informed and insensitive”.
India also asked Malaysia “to take a long-term and strategic view of the bilateral relations.”
The Malaysian Prime Minister had once again stirred up a new row on Friday with comments on the CAA saying New Delhi is trying to “deprive some Muslims of their citizenship.”
On Saturday, sources said, “The Malaysian Charge d’Affaires was summoned to the ministry of external affairs (MEA) today, in order to lodge a solemn protest over the remarks made by the Malaysian PM in Kuala Lumpur today at the press briefing.
It was conveyed that such remarks are neither in keeping with accepted diplomatic practice of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, nor with the state of our bilateral relations. It was also conveyed that such remarks are both ill-informed and insensitive. Malaysia was asked to take a long-term and strategic view of the bilateral relations.”
The Malaysian Prime Minister was quoted by global news reports as saying on Friday, “People are dying because of this law (Citizenship Amendment Act). Why is there a necessity to do this when all the while, for 70 years, they have lived together as citizens without any problem? I am sorry to see that India, which claims to be a secular state, now is taking action to deprive some Muslims of their citizenship. If we do that here, I do not know what will happen. There will be chaos and instability, and everybody will suffer.”
