India on Tuesday strongly rejected the resolution adopted by Pakistan’s National Assembly on Monday. It said that the resolution made references to matters that are entirely the internal affairs of India. “The Resolution adopted by Pakistan’s National Assembly yesterday makes references to matters that are entirely the internal affairs of India. We categorically reject the Resolution,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

This comes a day after Pakistan National Assembly passed a resolution condemning amended Citizenship Act, under which six minority communities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh will be granted Indian citizenship.

Pakistan has called it discriminatory as the law does not include Muslims. Criticising the move, Pakistan said that the law is against international norms of equality, therefore should be revoked. It also accused India of using force against the minority.

Hitting back at Islamabad, India said: “It is laughable that the National Assembly of Pakistan that has itself passed discriminatory legislation against religious minorities, should point fingers at others. We call upon Pakistan to engage in serious self-introspection rather than to falsely accuse others of what they themselves are guilty of.”

The MEA further said that 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 the universal adult franchise, and that all Indians irrespective of faith enjoy equal rights under the Constitution. “We urge Pakistan to similarly aspire to these ideals,” it added.

New Delhi further said that it (resolution) was a thinly-veiled attempt by Pakistan to further its false narrative on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. “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,” the MEA said.

India further said that the resolution was a poorly disguised effort to divert attention from Pakistan’s appalling treatment and persecution of its own religious minorities. “The demographics of these minorities, whether Hindu, Christian, Sikh or other faiths, in Pakistan speak for themselves,” it added.

The MEA defended the Citizenship Act and said that the resolution intentionally mischaracterizes the objectives of the Citizenship Law. “This Act gives citizenship to foreigners from selected countries who are persecuted religious minorities. It does not take away the citizenship of any Indian irrespective of her or his faith,” it added.