‘Prophetic words’: Pakistani PM Imran Khan hails quote from ‘The End of India’ book amid citizenship law protests

Prime Minister Imran Khan has blasted New Delhi’s Citizenship Amendment Act using a quote from an Indian book which takes aim at religious division, as the country faces more protests against the new law.

On Thursday, Khan tweeted a lengthy quote from the 2003 book by Indian author and journalist Khushwant Singh (1915-2014), poignantly titled ‘The End of India.’

The passage warns against demonizing certain religious communities. It says, among other things, that: “A movement built on hate can only sustain itself by continually creating fear and strife. Those of us today who feel secure because we are not Muslims or Christians are living in a fool’s paradise… We must realize this if we hope to keep India alive.”

The PM called this message “prophetic,” saying that Singh “foresaw” where India would be heading today. An ardent defender of secularism, Singh criticized Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is currently in power, for its religious visions.

Khan earlier criticised Indian PM Narendra Modi’s policies for their “Hindu Supremacist agenda.”

In August, India revoked the longstanding autonomy of its Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir State and reorganized it. Modi and the BJP politicians said the move will help to combat terrorism and militants in the region, as well as boost Kashmir’s economy. Critics, however, warned that the measure fuels violence on the ground.

India also recently adopted the Citizenship Amendment Act which simplifies naturalization procedures for six religious groups, which have settled from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, but excludes Muslims living in India from that list.

The law sparked ongoing protests and accusations of discrimination against Muslims. The government insists that the law’s main purpose is to defend persecuted people who arrive from Muslim-majority countries. The legislation does not “target any religious community from abroad,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Thursday.

It only provides a mechanism for some migrants who may otherwise have been called ‘illegal’ depriving them of opportunity to apply for Indian citizenship.

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